1. Kent Ridge Secondary School
Secondary 3 Social Studies
Chapter 4: Conflict in Multi-ethnic Societies
Conflict in Sri Lanka Conflict in Northern Ireland
History - Britain used to rule India and Sri Lanka - Ireland was initially made up of Irish Catholics.
- Indian Tamils were brought to Sri Lanka by the British and - Ireland was conquered by England, who brought in
were favored. Protestants.
- This made the Sinhalese upset. - Protestants were given the better lands, which were in
- After Sri Lanka became independent, the government was northern parts of Ireland.
made up of Sinhalese. - Catholics were less privileged, and this continued even after
- The Sri Lankan government then introduced policies that Ireland became part of English.
favored the Sinhalese. - The Irish continued to fight, and managed to gain control of
the southern part of Ireland.
- Ireland separated into Republic of Ireland and Northern
Ireland, where Northern Ireland still belongs to Britain.
Who is - Sinhalese - Protestants
involved? - Tamils - Catholics
- Indian government - Britain
What is this - a racial conflict between two races in Sri Lanka - a religious conflict between two religious groups in Northern
conflict about? Ireland.
- Peaceful civil rights to outbreaks of violence: Irish
Republican Army was formed and they used violence to
achieve their aims of joining the Republic of Ireland.
What caused 1. Citizenship rights 1. Divided loyalties
the conflict?
(reasons for - Ceylon Citizenship Act of 1948, which granted citizenship only - Catholics and Protestants saw themselves as two different
the conflict) to those born in Sri Lanka or those whose ancestors were groups. They were loyal to different countries.
born in Sri Lanka. - Catholics see themselves as Irish, and wants Northern
- Many Indian Tamils were left stateless even though they Ireland to be part of the Republic of Ireland.
have been contributing to the economy. They did not have - Protestants see themselves as British citizens and want
basic rights such as education, jobs or housing. Northern Ireland to be part of the United Kingdom.
- India tried to help these Indian Tamils but it was not very - [LINK] This lack of common identity prevented
successful. understanding and cooperation between the Catholics and
- 100 000 Indian Tamils were still stateless. Protestants. Their divided loyalties made them intolerant of
- [LINK] This made the Indian Tamils upset and became a each other. This became a point of conflict and tension.
point of conflict that caused tension between the two races.

2. 2. ‘Sinhala only’ policy 2. Unequal allocation of housing
- English used to be the language of administration in the - Protestants are given priority for houses.
government service. - [EXAMPLE] Large Catholic families in need of housing have
- After independence, the government decided that the to wait a long time to get a house. In some towns, more
language used will be Sinhalese – the Official Language Act houses would be given to Protestants than the Catholics.
- Tamils in the government service had to learn Sinhalese - [LINK] Catholics were frustrated as the shortage of houses
within 3 years or be fired. meant that they would have to wait for many years before
- [LINK] The Tamils were upset as they found it difficult to find they could be given their own houses. This becomes
jobs or be promoted. another reason for unhappiness and conflict between the
- [EXAMPLE OF HOW THIS LED TO CONFLICT] Catholics and Protestants.
o A peaceful demonstration against this Official
Language Act by the Tamils was disrupted by 3. Unequal employment opportunities
supporters of the Sinhala language.
o A riot started and it led to 100 over deaths. - competition between the Protestants and Catholics for jobs
in Northern Ireland
3. University Admission criteria - generally more difficult for Catholic to find jobs, especially
government jobs
- Government introduced a new university admission criteria - Catholics feel that although they may be as academically
that favored the Sinhalese. qualified as the Protestants, they do not have the same
- [EXAMPLE] Tamil students had to score higher markers than opportunities in getting the jobs that they want.
the Sinhalese students to enter the same courses in - [LINK] Catholics feel discriminated and thus, angry and
universities. frustrated with the Protestants. This becomes another
- A fixed number of places in the university was also reserved reason for the conflict.
for the Sinhalese.
- Admission was no longer based only on results. It also 4. Lack of voting rights
depends on the race of the student.
- [LINK] Tamils felt discriminated by the government and was - before 1969, voting rights was an issue between the
angry. This led to more unhappiness between the Sinhalese Catholics and Protestants
and Tamils. - at that time, only those who owned houses and businesses
were entitled to vote. The bigger the companies, the more
4. Resettlement votes they have.
- Since most of the bigger companies were owned by the
- Resettlement policy of 1950: poor Sinhalese peasants were Protestants, they ended up with more votes.
given land that belonged to Tamils. - This system was unfair to the poorer Catholics.
- These lands were given to the Sinhalese to live on. Buddhist - [LINK] They felt unhappy about this voting system as they
monks and the Sri Lanka Army, who were mostly Sinhalese, tend to lose out. The local government formed would then
also came to occupy their land. be made of Protestants rather than Catholics.
- [LINK] This made the Tamils angry because Sinhalese were - AFTER 1969, everyone is entitled to one vote, and voting
occupying their land and living among them. districts were redrawn to ensure fairness. Voting rights no
longer was an issue of conflict.

3. 5. Lack of opportunities of social interaction
- education system:
o public schools were catered for Protestants only, and
fully funded by the government. They learn British
history and culture.
o [EXAMPLE] Protestant kids would sing British
national anthem.
o private schools were for Catholics, and only partly
funded by the government. They learn Irish history
and culture.
o [EXAMPLE] They learn Irish sports such as hurling.
o [LINK] Students do not mix around and they do not
interact. There is no chance for the children to
understand each other better or develop friendship.
This means that the misunderstandings and conflicts
would continue to persist as the hatred is passed
from generation to generation.
- separate residential areas
o Catholics and Protestants have been living in
separate residential areas.
o [LINK] this reduces the opportunity for social
interaction, thus allowing misunderstandings to
continue. Conflicts would continue to exist.

4. What is the Political Consequences Political consequences
consequences? - Armed conflict - political reform
(impact of the o Tamils tried to use peaceful means to voice their o the civil rights march put pressure on Northern
conflict) unhappiness but it did not work. Some turned to Ireland government, and the government decided to
violence as the solution to their problems. make sweeping reforms of local government in
o Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a militant Northern Ireland.
group was formed. They used violence to achieve their o The government decided to pass anti-discrimination
goals. LTTE attacked ANYone who did not support the measures.
idea of having a separate Tamil state [this include
Tamils who did not support this idea]
o Sinhalese responded with violence as well.
o This became a war between the Tamil Tigers and the
government
o EXAMPLE: July 1963 riots in which 13 Sinhalese
soldiers were killed by Tamil Tigers. This led to riots.
- Foreign intervention
Economic consequences
o this conflict attracted the attention of India, who
- declining economy
decided to intervene to help resolve the conflict.
o the economy declined because of the violence and
o India tried to be the mediator between the
conflicts that took place.
government and the Tamil Tigers but this failed.
o Domestic and foreign investments decreased as
o India also sent food and medical supplies to the Sri
investors were not confident in the country.
Lankan Tamils.
o In July 1987, India forced the Sri Lankan government
Social Consequences
to sign a Peace Accord to ensure peace between the
- social segregation
Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government.
o Protestants and Catholics are now segregated
o This was not successful and there were many clashes
socially in the way they live, work and play.
between the Indian peacekeeping troops and the
o This leads to a lack of understanding between the
Tamil Tigers.
two groups, which allow the conflict to continue.
o The Indian peacekeeping troops were later withdrawn.
Economic Consequences
- Unemployment
o Massive unemployment due to the riots
o Besides the Tamils, there were also Sinhalese who
took part in burning and looting their places of work.
o Everyone was affected badly by the conflict.

5. - Loss of investments from other countries
o Investors from other countries had no confidence to
invest in an unstable and violent country.
o [LINK] This leads to a loss of investments, which
affects the economy badly. The country cannot
progress and grow.
- Fall in number of tourists
o Tourism was one of Sri Lanka’s major way of making
money.
o With the violence and internal conflict, tourists were
afraid to visit Sri Lanka.
o With the decrease in the number of tourists, there was
a loss of jobs and a fall in earnings.
o [LINK] This affected the economy badly, which
prevents the country from progressing and growing.
Social Consequences
- Sri Lankan Tamils were driven out of their homeland.
o Thousands of Tamils fled to Tamil Nadu in South India
to avoid the violent. They become refugees.
o High Security Zones (HSZ) was set up by the Sri
Lankan Army to keep the Tamil Tigers away.
o Many Tamils have to live in overcrowded conditions in
refugee camps or with relatives or friends.