SRI LANKA ETHNIC CONFLICT JACK REEVES / HAMILTON BROWN 5TH HOUR

Large Scale - Sri LankaSmall Scale - World s_of_Sri_Lanka Right here

Ethnic Groups of Sri Lanka The Sinhalese (74%) are one of the ethnic groups of Sri Lanka and occupy most of the region except for the eastern coast and northern tip of the island. The Sinhalese migrated from northern India in the fifth century b.c., then three centuries later they converted to Buddhism. This in turn made Sri Lanka a world center for religion. The Tamils (16%) are another ethnic group and they populate the northern tip, a part of the east coast, and a small chunk in the southern part of the island. The Tamils migrated across the Palk Strait at the start of the third century b.c., and the Tamils practice Hinduism. NOT AN IMPORTANT GROUP IN THE ETHNIC CONFLICT BUT THEY STILL LIVE THERE. The Moors (10%) are the last of the three ethnic groups and they are mostly on the east coast of Sri Lanka. The Moors came from southwest Asia to settle in Sri Lanka at the beginning of the eighth century b.c. This group practices Islam. However, they either speak Tamil (Dravidian) or Sinhalese (Indo-Iranian, Indo- European).

MAJOR cause of Sri Lankan ethnic conflict: Conflict between Sinhalese and Tamils began 2,000 years ago. “Since independence in 1948, Sinhalese have dominated the government, military, and most of commerce. Tamils feel that they suffer from discrimination at the hands of the Sinhalese-dominated government and have received support for a rebellion that began in 1983 from Tamils living in other countries (Rubenstein, 2014). “The long war between the ethnicities ended in 2009 with the defeat of the Tamils. With their defeat, the Tamils fear that the future of Sri Lanka as a multinational state is jeopardized. Back in 1956, Sinhalese leaders made Buddhism the sole official religion and Sinhala the sole official language of Sri Lanka. The Tamils fear that their military defeat jeopardizes their ethnic identity again” (2014) The Tamils want to be able to identify as much with their nationality as they do with their ethnicity. They want to be included and represented and the Sinhalese majority is not giving them that.

Cultural Conflicts of Sri Lanka After the end of European rule in 1948, the Sinhalese dominant government became increasingly nationalist which along with discrimination led to the Civil war in The civil war lasted from 1983 to 2009 and pitted the Tamil rebels against the Sinhalese government. During the 26 year-long conflict it’s estimated that 80,000 to 100,000 people were killed. Because of the war it’s also estimated that about 370,000 people were internally displaced in Sri Lanka.

Outside Influences Fueling Ethnic Conflict Tamils in other countries (esp. India) supported the Sri Lankan Tamil majority in their efforts to have a more equal cultural dominance. India became involved to keep dominance over the region, tried to support both sides “equally.” They helped the Tamils more because of their Hindu ethnic connection, esp. in times when Sri Lankan Tamil villages were under siege. Israel helped Sri Lanka defeat the “Tamil Tigers” (the rebel group of Tamils) The UN tried to make peace treaties, Tamils didn’t like it.

Timeline Fifth century b.c.e. the Sinhalese migrated to Sri Lanka Third century b.c.e. the Tamils migrated to Sri Lanka The British take over Sri Lanka in 1796 Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948 giving political power to the Sinhalese majority beginning of the Sri Lankan Civil War

Ethnic Conflict / 5 Themes Location: More war zones, blown-up villages, etc. Place: Stays the same Region: Stays the same H/E Int: The Sri Lankan civil war destroyed the villages and made the cultural landscape less colorful - Sinhalese/government won the war Movement: Many Tamils move back to India and others escape as refugees because of the fighting. Many of these Tamils were reluctant to come back to S.L. after the war.

Hypotheses for Solving the Conflicts 1. The government should repeal all of the laws that are discriminatory. This means the Sinhalese language laws, Sinhalese favoring education laws, etc. This would be a step towards creating more equality in the country rather than a Sinhalese oriented Sri Lanka. 2. The government should create a more balanced government with Tamils and Moors in office as well as Sinhalese. This would help to represent the minorities’ interests rather than just the Sinhalese majority interest.

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Ethnic Conflict Video “Short History of Sri Lanka Ethnic Conflict - TV Documentary” Only 8 minutes. Answer to video question (on next slide) can be found in the first minute of the video. Link:

Questions: Who took over Sri Lanka in 1796? What happened in 1948? What was the Sinhala-Only Act of 1956? What began in 1983? What types of migration/movement occur because of the war?

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