Conflicts in a Multi-Ethnic Society - Sri Lanka

1. SOCITIES
ETHNIC
MULTI-
CON FLIC T
CON FLIC T
IN
IN

2. Why do people of Different Races
and Religions Disagree?
• Forced to adopt different customs & traditions
• Language and education policies do not
consider their interests
• Law unfair to minority groups
• Power struggle
• Disagreement on ruling of country
• Competition for Job Opportunities or
Economic Resources

3. How do people Resolve
Disagreements?
• Tolerance
• Peaceful protest & marches
• Hunger strikes
• Violence

12. SRI LANKA SRI LANKA
Causes of Conflicts Consequences
Citizenship rights Armed Conflict
Sinhala Only Foreign Intervention
University Admission Unemployment
Resettlement Fall in Tourists

13. Historical
Background
1798 to 1948
A British Colony
Known as Ceylon
Model country for the
world
Feb 1948
Gained independence
Sinhalese Govt
May 1972
Officially known as Sri
Lanka

14. How does the multi-ethnic make-
up result in conflicts in Sri Lanka?
Source: http://www.harpercollege.edu/mhealy/g101ilec/sasia/ssc/ssdiv/ssdivfr.htm

15. Moors Sinhalese
Minority 8% Majority 81.9%
Tamils
2nd Majority 9.4%

16. SINHALESE
• Largest race
(81.9%)
• Speak Sinhala
• Majority Buddhists
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2zNtjrbu4o

17. TAMILS
• 2nd largest race (9.4%)
• Speak Tamil
• Hindus
2 Types of Tamils
7) Sri Lankan Tamils (11%)
Descendants of Tamils who have been living
in Sri Lanka for centuries
2) Indian Tamils (7%)
Descendants of tea plantation workers
brought in from India by the British

18. MOORS
• 3rd largest race (8%)
• Muslims
• Descendants of Arab or
Indian Muslim traders

19. WHERE DO THE
TAMILS LIVE?
Sri Lankan Tamils
Northern (Jaffna
Peninsular) and
Eastern (Batticaloa)
Indian Tamils
Highland districts –
tea plantations

20. WHERE DO THE
SINHALESE LIVE?
Sinhalese
Found in large
numbers everywhere
except Jaffna and
Batticaloa
In the south, they
form almost the
entire population

21. SRI LANKA
Causes of Conflicts
Citizenship rights
Sinhala Only
University Admission
Resettlement

23. • Part 1 (Causes: Citizenship): http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=X46qh7twGfM

24. Why (1) Citizenship Rights became
a cause of the Conflicts?
Ceylon Citizenship Act
Citizenship granted to:
a. Those born in Sri Lanka
b. Those whose fathers & grandfathers were born
in Sri Lanka
This excluded the Indian Tamils brought from India to
work in tea plantation in Sri Lanka.
They became stateless despite living in Sri Lanka for
many years and contributing to its economy.
They were denied basic rights such as education,
jobs, housing, voting etc.

25. Outcome of Citizenship Rights?
In 1964, after allowing
some Indian Tamils to
return to India and
granting some the
citizenship, about 100,000
still stateless.
By 2003, Grant of Do you think this
Citizenship to Persons of Source showed that
Citizenship Rights was
Indian Origin Bill gave
tackled well?
citizenship to those of
Indian descent. Source A: Tamil Refugees
at the harbour, August 1983
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Black_July_11.jpg

26. What can you infer about the
success of resolving Citizenship
Rights after the Violence?
Source B: An extract taken from 2010 Human Rights Report on Sri Lanka,
published by the U.S. State Department website
The 2003 Grant of Citizenship to Persons of Indian Origin Act recognized
the country's nationality of previously stateless persons, particularly
hill-country Tamils. The government made limited progress towards
naturalizing and providing citizenship documentation to stateless persons.
By December approximately 20,000 hill-country Tamils in the country lacked
identity cards and citizenship documents, compared with 30,000 at the
beginning of 2009 and 70,000 in 2008. Those lacking identity cards were at
higher risk of arbitrary arrest and detention, but there were no reports of
I such infer that the govt measures to resolve the Citizenship
can
Rights has not been very successful and slow as many of the
incidents during the year.
Tamil Indians remain stateless as seen by “approximately 20,000
hill-country Tamils in the country lacked identity cards and
http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2010/sca/154486.htm
citizenship documents” even after the violence has ended.

27. Link: How do you think the Citizenship
Rights issue contributed to the
Conflicts?
Although efforts were continuously made to resolve
the citizenship rights issue, the slow process
caused great inconvenience, insecurity and
resentment among the Indian Tamils, which could
have made them oppose the Sinhalese Govt.
Recall some of the answers
discussed based on the 2
sources?

28. SRI LANKA
Causes of Conflicts
Citizenship rights
Sinhala Only
University Admission
Resettlement

30. • Part 2 (Causes: Sinhala Only):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Z7P1Y4

31. Why (2) ‘Sinhala Only’ Policy
became a cause of Conflict?
During British Rule
 Indian Tamils brought in by the British Colonial Masters
were educated in English
 They worked in the British Government service and
held some of the most powerful jobs although they
were a minority
 Sinhalese – majority in country but could not read or
write English
After Independence (Sinhalese Govt)
 1956: Made Sinhala the language of administration
under Official Language Act
 Tamils in govt service given 3 years to learn Sinhala or
be dismissed

32. Outcome of ‘Sinhala Only’ Policy?
 Tamils upset as they found it difficult to find jobs or get
promoted.
 Peaceful demonstration disrupted by Sinhalese
 Riots resulted in high no. of deaths
 Pact between Sri Lankan Govt and Tamil leader to
allow Tamil to be used as language of admin in North
and East Sri Lanka led to even higher fighting and
deaths
 Then, Tamil was declared national and official language
of Sri Lanka.

33. Does this source show that the
Sinhala Only policy has been
resolved?
Source C: Official documents and dollar notes used in Sri Lanka all showed
the 3 different languages on them

34. What is the cartoon trying to show
about the Sinhala Only Policy?
Source D: A cartoon taken from www.tamilnation.org
The cartoon is trying to show to the
world that the Sri Lankan Govt and
Army, which majorly comprises of
the Sinhalese is trying to get rid of
Tamils from Sri Lanka.
This can be seen from the drawing
of the smartly-dressed official and
soldier representing the Sri Lankan
govt and army using a saw titled
‘Sinhalese Colonialisation’ to cut off
the eastern region dominated by
mostly Tamils from the map of Sri
Lanka.

35. Link: How do you think the Sinhala Only
policy contributed to the Conflicts?
As the discrimination caused the Tamils to be
denied the right to use their language and forced to
accept a different culture instead, they felt outraged
and the urgent need to fight for their rights, resulting
in violence and bloodshed.

36. SRI LANKA
Causes of Conflicts
Citizenship rights
Sinhala Only
University Admission
Resettlement

38. Why (3) University Admission
criteria became a cause of Conflict?
Before 1970:
• University admission based on merit
and exams held in English
• Number of Tamil and Sinhalese
students in respected medical and
engineering almost equal
• Sinhalese were unhappy because
the no. of Tamil students were higher
than their proportion in
the country.

39. Is the proportion of students in
each course to their population
size fair?
Source E: Graph, which shows no. of Tamil and Sinhalese university
students and their population size in the country, is taken
from a Sinhalese website

40. Why (3) University Admission
criteria became a cause of Conflict?
After 1970
•Compulsory for Tamil Course Students Minimum
Marks
students to score higher
Arts Sinhalese 187
marks than Sinhalese Tamils 170
students
•A fixed no. of places Engineering Sinhalese 227
Tamils 250
also reserved for
Sinhalese. Medicine & Sinhalese 229
•Admission was not Dentistry Tamils 250
solely based on
academic results. Why do you think the Arts
course requirement is higher
•Still in place today.
for Sinhalese students?

41. Link: How do you think the University
Admission criteria contributed to the
Conflicts?
• Because of the unfair admission criteria, the
number of Tamil students entering universities fell.
They felt frustrated and helpless as this
discrimination adversely affected their educational
qualifications, job opportunities and standard of
living. This encouraged the Tamil youths to join
forces which could help them seek justice.

42. SRI LANKA
Causes of Conflicts
Citizenship rights
Sinhala Only
University Admission
Resettlement

44. Why (4) Resettlement became a
cause of Conflict?
In 1950: Sinhalese But Tamils were
peasants were unhappy because
transferred from Buddhist monks and Sri
densely populated Lankan Army also came
south-western and to occupy their lands.
central areas into
Tamil areas
Govt implemented
this to provide fertile
land for landless
Sinhalese peasants to
live and cultivate padi.

45. What can you learn about the
Resettlement and Violence in Sri
Lanka?
Source F: Account extracted from ‘Son of Soils’ published by Stanford
University
•Tamil leader, Chelvanayakam warned that the government’s resettlement policy
was even more dangerous to the Tamil people than the Sinhala-language policy.
His political party claimed that the resettlements were “calculated to overwhelm
and crush the Tamil-speaking people in their own national areas.” The aftermath
of the Sinhala-only riot resulted in 87 injuries, but no deaths. However, the
rioting due to resettlement somewhere killed between 20 and 200 people.
•The threat of losing majority status in one’s homeland might have driven some
Tamils into violence. Participating in these violent activities were Tamil irrigation
workers, construction workers and truck drivers, who might not have been
directly concerned about the language issue. The gradual displacement of
Tamils became a full-scale retreat. Tamil refugees escaped to the forests to the
west and up north to the Jaffna peninsula, many joining rebel bands. The Sri
Lankan government continued to support Sinhala settlement in Tamil areas
even though its officials understood its provocative implications.

46. Link: How do you think the Resettlement
contributed to the Conflicts?
• Because of the injustice of being driven out of
their lands, threatened security and being treated
as minority in their own areas, the Tamils felt
outraged by the government deliberate plans to
discriminate them. This had motivated many
Tamils to carry out violence and seek help from
rebel militants, the LTTE.

47. Political Economic Social
Armed Conflict Unemployment Driven out of
homeland
Foreign Loss of
Intervention Investments
Fall in Tourists

49. • Part 3 (Consequences: Armed Conflict & LTTE):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftrjkIGegqA
• Part 4 (Consequences: Tamils welcome LTTE,
Foreign Intervention, Peace Accord) :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlqTpuE2-7o
• Part 5 (Consequences: Unemployment):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQJkXtoB2ro
• Part 6 (Consequences: Fall in Tourist,
Massacre) :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdrZdH9H0JM

50. How did the Conflict result in (1)
Armed Conflict?
Tamils made peaceful demands for 1950s, Tamils requested that
fair treatment by Sri Lankan Govt. Tamil areas be recognized as a
federation within Sri Lanka.
No violence.
Why were the
Tamil Tigers
Angry and dissatisfied, Tamils known as
also
terrorists?
(including youths) form the militant
group, LTTE (Liberation Tigers of the 1976, Tamils asked for a separate
Tamil Eelam), which used violence independent state in North and East
to demand for Tamils’ rights. of Sri Lanka, which will be called
Tamil Eelam. Tamils believed on a
separation could ensure their rights.
All demands not met and idea of
separate state rejected.

51. What can you infer about the actions
of LTTE in fighting for the Tamils’
freedom?
Source G: An LTTE bus bomb kills 25 Colombo commuters, in
April 2008.
The bombings by the LTTE are inappropriate and immoral acts
because innocent lives, both Sinhalese and Tamils, were lost.
Furthermore, the bombings will not help in getting the Sinhalese to
grant their demands.

54. Tamil woman suicide bomber killed 23, wounded 60
Friday 05, July 1996

55. Because of LTTE, is it fair to say that
the Tamils are the more violent race in
the Conflict?
Source H: Extract from Madras Hindu, a Tamil
newspaper on Mr. Kuttimani, one of the 52
Tamil political prisoners, 10 August 1983 .
•Kuttimani, a nominated member of Sri Lankan parliament...
was forced to kneel in his (maximum security prison) cell by
his assailants and ordered to pray to them. When he refused,
he was taunted by his tormentors about his last wish... He
had willed that his eyes be donated to someone so that at
least that person would see an independent Tamil Eelam.
The assailants then gouged his eyes... He was then stabbed
to death and his testicles were wrenched from his body.

56. Link: How do you think the Armed
Conflict was a serious consequence?
As the armed conflict escalated the use of violence,
tens of thousands of innocent lives, both Sinhalese
and Tamils, are lost. The security of the nation is
threatened as the people are living in constant fear
and violence. Also, much wastage results from the
spending on weapons and reconstruction of
infrastructure. Lastly, the repercussions of the
armed conflict spill over into other areas of impact.