Sri Lankan Tamils

The Sri Lankan Tamils, who make up approximately 12 percent of the country's population, are a majority in the country's north and comprise a significant portion of the multi-ethnic eastern region (GROUPCON = 2). There has been little group migration across regions but there have been substantial influxes of Sinhalese into the group's traditional regions of residence The Sri Lankan Tamils are culturally, linguistically, and religiously related to the country's Indian Tamils who reside in the central hill regions. However, the two are considered as distinct groups and they have separately pursued their goals (as the MAR project lists the Indian Tamils as a separate group, they will not be discussed in this entry). There are a number of differences between the Sri Lankan Tamils and the majority Sinhalese community. The Tamils speak a common language (Tamil) while the language of the dominant community is Sinhala (LANG = 2). The Sinhalese are mainly Buddhists while the Tamils are Hindus (BELIEF = 2). Tamils also practice different customs, particularly in marriage, as compared to the Sinhalese (CUSTOM = 1), but the two groups are not physically distinguishable (RACE = 0). Along with the Sinhalese, the Sri Lankan Tamils are considered to be the original inhabitants of the island state. The Tamil Kingdom of Jaffna was autonomous until its annexation by the Portuguese in 1619 (AUTLOST = 1). Contact between the Sinhalese and Tamil communities was limited until the imposition of British rule in 1796. Under British rule, the Tamils were disproportionately represented in the bureaucracy. Sri Lanka, which was formerly known as Ceylon, received its independence in 1948. Beginning in the 1950s, Sinhalese-dominated governments implemented public policies that institutionalized the majority community's dominance. Sinhala was declared to be the country's sole official language; Buddhism was favored as the state religion, and the unitary nature of the state ensured Sinhalese political domination. Major Sinhalese-Tamil riots in 1956, 1981 and 1983 further heightened Tamil insecurities and led to the formation of militant Tamil groups. In an effort to protect their culture and to ensure equal rights, the Tamils began to press for autonomy and independence. Political parties, such as the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) utilized conventional means including participating in coalition governments. Militant Tamils sought the creation of an independent Tamil state, referred to as Eelam, which would comprise the north and east of the country. The main rebel Tamil group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), formed in 1976 as an armed separatist group and has been active through the present (SEPX = 3). Throughout the 1980s, various Tamil rebel groups, led by the LTTE, engaged in attacks against the Colombo government and its security apparatus. Unable to quell the rebellion, the government turned to its neighbor, India, for assistance. The ethnic kin of the Sri Lankan Tamils dominate India's southern Tamil Nadu state (GC10 =2; GC11 =2), and the Tamils in India have actively supported their brethren (KINPOLSUP06 = 1). Further, the Indian government was reportedly providing arms, training and sanctuary to the Sri Lankan Tamil rebels. Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi viewed the situation as an opportunity to establish India as a regional hegemon and to control any potential ethnic tension in Tamil Nadu. Negotiations between the two countries led to the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka accord. Around 50,000 Indian peacekeepers (IPKF) were deployed in Tamil areas in Sri Lanka to help ensure peace. In return, the Sri Lankan government agreed to devolve power to the north and east through the creation of autonomous provincial councils. The accord was rejected by the LTTE, who violently resisted the IPKF. Three years later the peacekeeping force withdrew after large battlefield losses and limited gains in their efforts to quell the Tamil Tigers. The IP