Civil War in Sri Lanka
The Tamil Tigers, a separatist organisation, strive for an independent state. The Sinhalese, who have power in national politics and the military try to restrain the Tamils.
History of conflict
Almost every ethnic group in Sri Lanka is originally from India. The Sinhalese settled on the island in the 6th century B.C. Later, in the 3rd century B.C., the Sinhalese founded a kingdom on the island. The cities of Anuradhapura (200 BC. to 1000 A.D.) and Polonnaruwa (from 1070 to 1200 A.D.) were the center of flourishing Buddhist kingdoms. The Tamils emigrated from India to Sri Lanka. They founded a kingdom in the 14th century in the north of the country. The area in the north and east of Sri Lanka was the 'homeland' of the Tamils. Still the Tamils are living in that particular area. In 1658 the V.O.C. allied with the Sinhalese kingdom of Kandy (a town in the interior). Together they expelled the Portuguese from the island. Later, in 1796, the English occupied Sri Lanka to prevent the island from falling into French hands - The Netherlands were a vassal state of the Napoleonic France. The British founded inland plantations to grow coffee, tea and coconut. There were many workers from India, who were mostly Indian Tamils. The Tamils were imported by the English, because they were relatively easy to control. To take care of a counterbalance against the Sinhalese majority, the English ensured good education for the Tamils. The Tamil minority were given dominant positions on many boards. The Sinhalese majority were deprived from such positions. The Tamils were often granted much better jobs than the Sinhalese. Even in the south and west of the country - the area where the majority of the Sinhalese live - the Tamils were assigned the best positions. This aroused nationalism among the Sinhalese. They began to distinguish themselves by practising Buddhism as their religion and by emphasizing their common history. Due to the Sinhalese nationalism they also began to oppose against the colonial ruler and the people who benefited from the British colonization, the Tamils.
Independence
After the independence of Ceylon (Sri Lanka's former name) in 1948 the population initially worked together. Only the Indian Tamils who worked on the plantations, were not included. The government stripped the Indian Tamils their civil rights, for example, they could not vote. This limited the impact of the Tamils in politics. The 50 laws that were adopted in Sri Lanka caused the island to 'sinhalise'. English as the main language was replaced by Sinhalese, and the good jobs in government were now occupied by Sinhalese. This development went on and on, and the Tamils developed strong nationalistic feelings. The call for a separate state became increasingly louder. In 1976, The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE - 'Tamil Tigers'), an armed group, was founded. The Tamil Tigers committed terrorist attacks on Sinhalese targets. The government passed an anti-terrorism-law, and arrested many Tamil youngsters.
Outbreak of the civil war
In 1982 the political party of the Tamils - the TULF - was banned from the parliament. This meant that the Tamils were not represented anymore. This led to riots and civil disobedience in the areas where the Tamils lived (especially in the north). The government responded by sending more Sinhalese soldiers to the north. In 1983 militant Tamils attacked government troops. In Jaffna, a city in northern Sri Lanka, 13 soldiers were killed. This caused a wave of violence across the country. Tamils and their property were attacked by Sinhalese civilians. These citizens were united in small violent groups, which killed Tamils and burned Tamil homes. After three days the Government managed to restore the peace again. In those three days thousands of Tamils fleed to India, and thousands (the government speaks of 6000, the Tamils of over 15,000 deaths) Tamils were killed. In the eighties and nineties there was a violent pattern: the Tamil Tigers committed (suicide) attacks, which led to retaliation by government forces. At the beginning of the war there were several groups of militant Tamils (often young), but the Tamil Tigers see themselves as the sole representative of Tamils. Many smaller groups joined the Tamil Tigers. This group grew out to be an international network. Tamil communities in Europe and North America paid - often threathened - a kind of contribution to the Tamil Tigers. These funds were used to finance the war. Later, in the nineties, some discriminatory measures were reversed by later governments. For example, Tamil was stated as an official language again. Still, the war continued, with many deaths.
Cease-fire
A cease-fire was signed in 2002 after Norwegian mediation. Since then both parties negotiated, but the Tamil Tigers stepped away from the negotiations in 2003 because they believed that the government did not show enough good will. Then in December 2004 a tsunami engulfed Sri Lanka, and many buildings and infrastructure were destroyed. Tensions raised again. The help that Sri Lanka received, mainly went to the government, which caused the Tamils to be deprived of help. In 2006 the violence emerged again: in a short time there were 200 deaths in fight between the Tamil Tigers and government troops. Again both parties negotiated, this time in Geneva, but those negotiations were not successful. The war was resumed, the cease-fire ended in 2002. The Tamil Tigers occupied a watersupply, which caused 15,000 people to be without water. In retaliation, the air force bombed a school in Tamil areas, where a number of girls were killed. In 2006 some 2000 people were killed that year.
Chronological background
1948: Independence of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), Buddhist Sinhalese dominate national politics, mainly Hindu Tamils in northern and eastern Sri Lanka feel discriminated against.
1956: Prime Minister Solomon Bandaranaike ratifies the Sinhalese domination. Sinhalese is the only allowed language. Tamils may use their own language only in domestic sphere.
1972: Ceylon is now called the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka - a Sinhala name. The three main Tamil parties join together as the Tamil United National Front. They first try to gain autonomy through political means, but when that fails, military groups take control in the Tamil Movement.
1983: Battle grows into a civil war. The Tamil Tigers are the first in the world using suicide attacks. When they ambush and kill 13 soldiers and riots occur, the government announced a state of martial law. Battles are killing hundreds. Tens of thousands of Tamils are fleeing.
1987: Agreement between Sri Lanka and India which supports the Tamils. Autonomy for the Tamils in exchange for peace. The fight grows less strong, but continues.
1991: Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, 'traitor' of the Tamil case, is killed by Tamils. Two years later, Sri Lankan president is assassinated. Fight breaks loose again in full vigor.
1995: Government forces begin large-scale offensive against Tiger stronghold of Jaffna. Army is gaining ground.
1999: Tamil Tigers place massive attacks to regain ground.
2002: Cease-fire with the help of Norwegian mediators. This should be followed by a peace agreement, but negotiations are stopped in 2003 after six negotiating rounds without success.
2005: Mahinda Rajapaksa is elected president in an election boycotted by many Tamils. Violence rises again, despite the cease-fire. The Tamils commit various attacks, the military response. There are hundreds of deaths.
2006: The Government of President Rajapaksa begins an offensive in which more and more land is recaptured.
2009: In January the army captures Kilinochchi town, the administrative center of the Tamil Tigers. They take more area. In May, the last piece of territory captured from the Tamil Tigers.
Balance
The unstable situation hinders the economic development of Sri Lanka enormously. So far, about 70,000 people were killed in the war between the Tamil Tigers and government forces. In recent months, the Sri Lankan army pushed back the Tamil Tigers to a peninsula in the northeast of the island. The battle is fierce and the international community is following the situation with tension ... just like us!
May 2009
In recent months the army has developed a huge offensive against the Tamil Tigers. Eventually the Tigers, sympathizers and civilians were forced back to an island in the northeast of Sri Lanka. On May 18, 2009 Sri Lankan paratroopers conquered the last piece of territory held by the independence fighters in the north of the country. In the battle for that last stretch of jungle, 1 square kilometers, at least 250 Tamil Tigers were killed. The leader of the Tamil Tigers, Velupillai Prabhakaran, was killed as he tried to flee.
The Tamil Tigers have now recognized their defeat and the weapons are down. This is an end to more than 25 years civil war in the beautiful Sri Lanka. We hope that peace and quiet can now return and that different kinds of people can live in harmony. We thus hope that our work can continue in peace.
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