On December 26, 2004, ಭಾರತದ Ocean tsunami hit ಶ್ರೀಲಂಕಾ, killing more than 30,000 people, ಮತ್ತು leaving many more homeless. Aid poured in from donor countries, but disagreements arose instantly over how it should be distributed to ತಮಿಳು regions under ಎಲ್‍ಟಿಟಿಇ control. By ಜೂನ್‌ 24, ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಮತ್ತು ಎಲ್‍ಟಿಟಿಇ agreed on Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS), but it received sharp criticism from JVP, who left ಸರ್ಕಾರ in protest.
The legality of P-TOMS was also challenged in courts. President Kumaratunga eventually had to scrap P-TOMS, which led to widespread criticism that sufficient aid was not reaching ಉತ್ತರ ಮತ್ತು ಪೂರ್ವ of ದೇಶ. ಆದಾಗ್ಯೂ, immediately following tsunami there was marked decrease in violence in ಉತ್ತರ.

ಶ್ರೀಲಂಕಾದ Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, ತಮಿಳು who was highly respected by foreign diplomats ಮತ್ತು who had been sharply critical of ಎಲ್‍ಟಿಟಿಇ, was assassinated at his home on August 12, 2005, allegedly by ಎಲ್‍ಟಿಟಿಇ sniper. His assassination led to marginalization of ಎಲ್‍ಟಿಟಿಇ from international ಸಮುದಾಯ, ಮತ್ತು is thought to be instant when ಎಲ್‍ಟಿಟಿಇ lost much of its sympathy in eyes of foreign nations. Hence silence of international ಸಮುದಾಯ when ಶ್ರೀಲಂಕಾದ ಸರ್ಕಾರ took ಸೇನೆ action ವಿರುದ್ಧ ಎಲ್‍ಟಿಟಿಇ in 2006, when latter closed Mavil Oya (Mavil aru) sluice.

Further ರಾಜಕೀಯ change occurred when Supreme Court of ಶ್ರೀಲಂಕಾ declared President Kumaratunga's second ಮತ್ತು final term over ಮತ್ತು ordered her to hold fresh presidential elections. The main candidates for ಚುನಾವಣೆ, which was held in November, were UNF candidate, former ಪ್ರಧಾನ ಮಂತ್ರಿ Ranil Wickremasinghe, who advocated reopening of talks with ಎಲ್‍ಟಿಟಿಇ, ಮತ್ತು UPFA candidate, ಪ್ರಧಾನ ಮಂತ್ರಿ Rajapaksa, who called for tougher line ವಿರುದ್ಧ ಎಲ್‍ಟಿಟಿಇ ಮತ್ತು renegotiation of ಕದನ ವಿರಾಮ. The ಎಲ್‍ಟಿಟಿಇ openly called for boycott of ಚುನಾವಣೆ by ತಮಿಳರು. Many of them were expected to vote for Wickremasinghe, ಮತ್ತು loss of their votes proved fatal to his chances as Rajapakse achieved narrow win.

Following ಚುನಾವಣೆ, ಎಲ್‍ಟಿಟಿಇ ನಾಯಕ Velupillai ಪ್ರಭಾಕರನ್‌ stated in his annual address that Tigers would "renew their struggle" in 2006 if ಸರ್ಕಾರ did not take serious moves toward peace.

Fighting in 'no-fire zone'
Tsunami ಮತ್ತು aftermath
Early peace efforts
ಪೂರ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ದಾಳಿ