Social Studies Revision Resource - Causes of Conflict in Sri Lanka Factors: Causes of Conflict in Sri Lanka British Colonial

l Rule Citizenship Rights Language Policy / Sinhala Only Policy / Jobs in the Civil Service University Admission Resettlement Policy British Colonial Rule: The conflict is due to British colonial rule because the Tamils were favoured at that time in jobs and education. English-educated Tamils could enter government service and occupy some of the most powerful posts in the country. As a result, when Sri Lanka became independent, the Sinhalese majority introduced policies which favoured them rather than the Tamils and this caused friction between the two groups. Citizenship Rights: Upon independence, the Sri Lankan government granted citizenship only to those born in Sri Lanka or whose fathers or grandfathers were born in Sri Lanka. As a result, Indian Tamils from India who had worked on the plantations and contributed to the economy were denied citizenship. They were angry that they were treated unfairly and given no rights. The Indian Tamils were also frustrated with the governments insincerity in solving the problem as they took more than 20 years to grant the remaining Indian Tamils in Sri Lanka citizenship rights. Language Policy / Sinhala Only Policy / Jobs in the Civil Service: Under the British, many Tamils worked in the civil service and were promoted, making the Sinhalese jealous. When Sri Lanka became independent, the Sinhalese put in a policy where Tamil civil servants had to learn Sinhala within 3 years or be dismissed. This angered the Tamils because they no longer had a bright future as they could lose their jobs or promotions. Protests took place and it took a very long time for Tamil to be recognised as a language of administration in Tamil areas, making the Tamils frustrated with the governments insincerity. University Admission: A reason for the conflict is the unfair policy of university admissions where there is discrimination against the Tamils who have to score higher marks than the Sinhalese to enter the same courses. Places are also reserved for Sinhakese students, which causes resentment amongst the Tamils who feel they are not being treated equally. Young Tamils are also frustrated that this form of discrimination robs them of a bright future and education.
TWSS Humanities Department Upper Secondary Social Studies Resource Secondary 3E/NA, 4E/NA, 5NA

Resettlement Policy: A reason for the conflict is the resettlement policy. The Sinhalese government resettled poor Sinhalese peasants in Tamil lands where they were given land to cultivate. This caused tension because the Tamils were angry and that the Sinhalese peasants were taking up their land. Later on, Buddhist monks and Sinhalese Army troops also came to stay in Tamil lands. Furthermore, there was also religious tension due to differences in religion. Tamils were also bullied and ill-treated by the Sinhalese Army troops. The resettlement programme was also an important cause of the conflict in Sri Lanka, as the Tamils believed that the Sinhalese-dominated government deliberately moved Sinhalese peasants into Tamil areas. The Tamils felt that this was done to reduce their numbers in their land, and to erode the importance of their culture and language. Analysis of Causes of Conflict British Colonial Rule Citizenship Rights Language Policy / Sinhala Only Policy / Jobs in the Civil Service Tamil has been granted greater recognition by the government which made it the language of administration in the northern and eastern provinces as well as an official language. University Admission Resettlement of Population

Caused discrimination of Tamils within the civil service and resulted in the Sinhala Only Policy. However, Tamil has now been recognized as an official language.

Caused tension only among the Indian Tamils and the Sinhalese government. Was resolved in 2003 when the Sinhalese government passed the Grant of Citizenship to Persons of Indian Origin Bill.

Discrimination in University Admission is still continuing today. If the Tamils do not have an equal chance of getting a good education, they cannot get good jobs and have a fair share of influence in running the country.

Causes tension among the Tamils and Sinhalese who populate the same areas in Sri Lanka. These areas do not form a very large part of Sri Lanka.

Social Studies Revision Resource - Consequences of Conflict in Sri Lanka Factors: Consequences of Conflict in Sri Lanka Political: Armed Conflict, Foreign Intervention Economic: Unemployment, Loss of Investment from other Countries, Fall in the Number of Tourists Social: Sri Lankan Tamils Driven Out of their Homeland
TWSS Humanities Department Upper Secondary Social Studies Resource Secondary 3E/NA, 4E/NA, 5NA

Political Consequence: Armed Conflict: A consequence of the Sinhalese-Tamil conflict has been armed conflict. Due to the failure of using peaceful means to try and resolve the conflict, some Tamil youths formed a militant group called the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) who resorted to violence to demand and obtain Tamil rights. The Tamil Tigers have used terrorist means to attack Sinhalese, Tamil supporters of the government, Tamil police officers and anyone who opposes them. In addition, the Sinhalese also showed their hostility towards the Tamils and this sparked off riots which eventually led to a long armed conflict between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government forces. The armed conflict has resulted in a great loss of life and has affected the people of Sri Lanka economically and socially as well. Foreign Intervention: India intervened in the Sinhalese-Tamil conflict by attempting to provide relief aid to the Sri Lanka Tamils. Although the Indian ships were turned back by the Sri Lankan navy, the Indian Air Force went ahead to drop the aid by air and in doing so, violated Sri Lankan airspace. Later on, the India pressured Sri Lanka to sign a peace accord but when the Tamil Tigers refused to surrender their weapons, Indian peacekeepers took control by force and this resulted in clashes between the Indian troops and the Tamil Tigers. Not only was Sri Lankas sovereignty not respected, the intervention by India worsened the conflict until the Indian troops were withdrawn in 1990. Economic Consequence: Unemployment: Massive unemployment occurred for both the Tamils and the Sinhalese due to the riots and armed conflict in Sri Lanka as places of work were vandalized, looted or burned. Many businesses also closed down as they lost their workers or could not operate due to the violence. Loss of Investments from other Countries: Due to the armed conflict and political instability, many investors were afraid to invest in Sri Lanka. Without foreign investment, the Sri Lankan economy cannot recover or grow and there would continue to be unemployment and economic suffering. Fall in the Number of Tourists: Due to the armed conflict and violence, tourism, one of Sri Lankas major income earners, was disrupted and the number of tourist arrivals fell as visitors were too afraid to come to Sri Lanka.
TWSS Humanities Department Upper Secondary Social Studies Resource Secondary 3E/NA, 4E/NA, 5NA

Due to the fall in the number of tourists, there was a loss of jobs in the tourism industry and fall in earnings. This affected the economy because there was a lack of funds from tourism earnings to develop facilities such as amenities, transport and housing.

Social Consequence: Sri Lankan Tamils Driven Out of their Homeland: Due to the armed conflict and violence, large numbers of Sri Lankan Tamils were driven out of their homes. High Security Zones (HSZ) set up by the Sri Lankan army to keep Tamil Tigers away resulted in a large-scale occupation of Tamil lands. Escalating violence and fighting between government troops and Tamil Tigers have also forced many Tamils to flee their homes and seek refuge in refugee camps and having to suffer in overcrowded conditions. Other Tamils have fled to India where they remain as refugees without a proper home or status. Analysis of Consequences of Conflict Political Armed Conflict: Most important / damaging consequence because its resulting effects are the economic and social consequences of the conflict in Sri Lanka. As long as the armed conflict does not stop, economic or social recovery will be unattainable. Foreign Intervention: Damaging consequence because foreign intervention could result in the country becoming invaded by a foreign power or the conflict could worsen as an additional party will be involved in the fighting. Economic Unemployment / Loss of Investment from other Countries / Fall in the Number of Tourists: Damaging consequence because it prevents the country from recovering economically and gaining revenue needed for development. As the economic suffering continues, Sinhalese and Tamils will continue to blame each other for the suffering and peace will be difficult to achieve. Social Sri Lankan Tamils Driven Out of their Homeland: Damaging consequence because it uproots whole families and causes large numbers of people to suffer. Some of these Tamils are also caught in the cross-fire of government troops and Tamil Tigers causing large numbers of dead and injured Tamils.

TWSS Humanities Department Upper Secondary Social Studies Resource Secondary 3E/NA, 4E/NA, 5NA

Social Studies Revision Resource Efforts to Resolve the Conflict Is there Peace in Our Time? Yes Efforts to begin peace talks were made in 2002 No Tamil Tigers withdrew from peace talks with the Sri Lankan government. Launched suicide bomb attacks Assassination of the Foreign Minister by the Tamil Tigers Increased attacks on army and police vehicles Threats by the Tamil Tigers to use all available resources to fight for their homeland

Social Studies Revision Resource Who is to Blame for the Conflict? Sinhalese Marginalised the Tamils by implanting discriminatory policies like Citizenship Rights, Language Policy / Sinhala-Only Policy / Jobs in the Civil Service / University Admission and Resettlement Policy which caused tension between the two groups that ultimately led to conflict. Showed hostility against the Tamils in the July 1983 riots which triggered retaliation by the Tamil Tigers leading to the armed conflict with the Sri Lankan government. However, most of the Tamils problems have been settled and the Sinhalese have settled the issues regarding Citizenship Rights and Tamils Despite initially using peaceful methods to try and obtain rights for themselves, the Tamils also allowed the formation of the Tamil Tigers who used violence to achieve their cause and triggered the armed conflict with the Sri Lankan government. British Colonial Rule Favoured the Tamils during colonial rule and marginalised the Sinhalese who retaliated by implementing discriminatory policies against the Tamils.

TWSS Humanities Department Upper Secondary Social Studies Resource Secondary 3E/NA, 4E/NA, 5NA

the Language Policy / Sinhala Only Policy.

TWSS Humanities Department Upper Secondary Social Studies Resource Secondary 3E/NA, 4E/NA, 5NA