The document outlines the history of ethnic tensions in Sri Lanka between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil minority population. It notes that Britain began colonizing the island in the late 18th century, bringing Tamil laborers from India, and unified the country in 1833 under British rule. After independence in 1948, discrimination against Tamils increased through laws making Sinhala the sole official language and restricting Tamil voting rights. This led to violence in 1956 and rising tensions between the two groups throughout the late 1950s-1970s, as Buddhism was declared the primary religion and Tamil political representation was suppressed.