Causes of the Sri Lanka ConflictFactorDescriptionExplanationCitizenship Rights (Main factor – affected everyone)Since the Ceylon Citizenship Act of 1948, the Sri Lankan government granted citizenship to only those who themselves or parents were born in Sri Lanka.This caused 1 million Tamils to be stateless as they did not gain citizenship.As a result, the Tamils could not vote for their representatives and their needs and concerns were neglected by the government.Although India stepped in and help some Indian Tamils return to India, about 100, 000 Indian Tamils remained stateless.Tamils were dissatisfied as despite their contribution to economy, they were not granted Citizenship.Feeling neglected by the government, the resentment against the government grew, leading to the conflict.Sinhala Only Language PolicyThis policy was enacted in 1956 making Sinhala the official language.Affects only civil servants – they have to learn Sinhala within 3 years or be dismissed.Caused many Tamil civil servants to lose their jobs as they were not proficient in Sinhala.In addition, this unfair policy made it difficult for Tamils to secure jobs or be promoted.The Tamils found out that peaceful means did not work, thus thinking that they were discriminated against, causing them to resort to violence.Aggravated relations between Tamils and Sinhalese, resulting in the conflict.University Admission CriteriaThe new university admission criteria introduced in 1970 required Tamil Youths to score higher marks than Sinhalese to enter a university.Affected only students trying to get into university.This caused Tamil youths to be deprived of university education and made them resent the Sri Lankan government as they felt that the government was biased against them and deprived them of good job opportunities.The Tamils hated the Sinhalese as they felt that the Sinhalese took away their chances for university.Caused tensions between Sinhalese and Tamils to be intensified, leading to the conflict.Resettlement to Sinhalese to areas densely populated by TamilsIn 1950, the Sri Lankan government transferred Sinhalese peasants and the Sri Lankan Army to areas densely populated by Tamils.Caused frustration among Tamils as they had to compete with the Sinhalese for lands.Increased chances of racial conflict due to hostility between Sinhalese and TamilsTamils also lost dominance and political power in those areas.Caused the Tamils to resent the government, leading to the conflict.

Consequences of Sri Lanka ConflictSocialSri Lankan Refugees: The conflict caused more than 200, 000 Sinhalese and Tamils to migrate and work abroad as migrant workers due to the conflict. More than 1 million Tamils had been displaced and 64, 000 has died in the conflict. There was also a serious problem of malnutrition and poverty in Sri Lanka. More than 50% of the population earned less than US$2 a day. Social services are also inadequate and many schools are run-down and universities do not have sufficient facilities.EconomicUnemployment and Poverty: Due to the violence, Sri Lanka agriculture was affected. Countries would rather purchase its main produce which is tea from other countries, leading to the fall in prices of tea and lead to unemployment of the Tea plantation workers.Fall in foreign investments: The constant threat of bombings, high costs of security and lack of a stable market kept investments away. Many countries were not unwilling to invest in Sri Lanka due to racial violence, poor infrastructure and unstable conditions.Fall in number of tourists: The tourism industry in Sri Lanka was badly affected. Many tourists attractions, hotels and sometimes even airports were bombed, making tourists feel unsafe visiting Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has an estimated tourist arrivals just over 500, 000 a year.PoliticalArmed Conflict: As the Tamils felt discriminated, the Federal Party (Political Party) wanted Sri Lanka to be a federation and Tamil areas to be self-governing. As it was rejected by the Sri Lanka government, the Tamil Tigers emerged and resorted tom violence, attacking Sinhalese, Tamil members of the police force and Tamil politicians which did not support the proposed separate state. The Sinhalese also showed their hostility through violence, causing many incidents of violence to occur. It had led to a war between the LTTE and Sri Lankan government and troubled Sri Lanka for more than 20 years and cost more than 60, 000 lives.With armed conflict, Sri Lanka will always remain a poor developing Third World nation with a damaging impact on the country and its economy.Foreign Intervention: The Sri Lanka conflict attracted India to play as the role of mediator but it failed. It interfered directly in 1987 by sending ships with food and supplies for the Tamils. It also violated Sri Lankan airspace by dropping supplies to the Tamils. However, the Indian peacekeeping force withdrew after fighting with the Tamil Tigers in March 1990. ConclusionAs a whole, the Political Impact was more damaging than the economic impact as it led to thousands of deaths due to the armed conflict and this lack of peace and harmony has adversely affected the economic development of Sri Lanka. Economic progress declined as few investors and tourists flocked to Sri Lanka.