Ethnic cleansing - chronology of key events
In essence, Sri Lanka's Tamil problem is not just an ethnic or political one. It is a matter of human rights too. Sri Lanka's issue is one of several covert wars that receives little attention. The little we do know is sometimes polluted by misunderstandings. This is sad because international mediation holds the best hope for reaching a just and peaceful solution. The political will for such involvement is now lacking, and the only way to remedy this is to raise public awareness about the issue.
A chronology of key events:
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| Under Portugese |
Pre-colonisation - The Tamils of Sri Lanka inhabit the North East of the island (the Tamil Homeland) and the Sinhalese occupy the remainder.
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| Under Dutch |
1505 - Portuguese arrive in Colombo, marking the beginning of European interest. They hold the island from 1505 to 1658, but rule the Tamil and Sinhalese kingdoms as separate entities.
1602 – The Dutch arrive in Ceylon and oust the Portuguese, ruling Dutch Ceylon from 1658 to 1796, with the Tamil and Sinhalese kingdoms ruled separately.
1815 – The British become the first European power to win control over the entire island, known as Ceylon. While the Portuguese and the Dutch ruled the Kingdoms separately, the British amalgamated them to create a homogenised nation state for a convenient system of administration. They also bring Tamil labourers from southern India to work in tea, coffee and coconut plantations.
1833 - English is made as the official language.
1915 - The first reported organised riots in Sri Lanka were against the minority Sri Lankan Muslims. The native population of the island at this time was predominately Buddhist mostly from the ethnic group Sinhalese. The riots erupted between Sinhalese Buddhists and a Muslim community, called Coast Moors, recently arrived in Ceylon from India and primarily engaged in trade and money lending. From a communal clash up-country, disorders spread into six of Ceylon’s nine provinces, causing the deaths of 140 people, the arrests of 8736, imprisonment of 4497 and at a cost of Rupees 7,000,000. British-Ceylonese relations were severely impaired and Sinhalese nationalism suddenly came of age. It happened, but why?….Muslims had been in Ceylon since the eighth century, a composite group of Arabs, Persians and Muslimized Indians who came to be known as Ceylon Moors. The most recent arrivals, Indian Moors from Cochin and Malabar coast labeled ‘Coast Moors’, earned an undesirable reputation among Sinhalese while the older order of Ceylon Moors lived at peace among the Sinhalese, even attaining the status of headmen in some Kandyan villages. The charges against the Coast Moors were that they were unscrupulous, alien (some compared them to Jews; others, in 1915, to Germans), and they loaned money at usurious rates. Before the riots, Sinhalese had boycotted Coast Moormen’s boutiques (general merchandise shops and food counters) as a warning to them to desist from attempting to seduce Sinhalese girls and also for creating artificial increases in the prices of necessities. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1915_Sinhalese-Muslim_riots)
1931 - British grant the right to vote and introduce power sharing.
1948 – On February 4, 1948, after pressure from Ceylonese nationalist leaders (which briefly unified the Tamil and Sinhalese), Ceylon gains independence and becomes a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. In the Citizenship Act of 1948, the Tamils of Indian Decent (mainly plantation workers) are disenfranchised of their citizenship and stripped of their voting rights. The arbitrary disenfranchisement serves not only to cut down the political power of the left leaning parties, but also cut down voting power of the Tamils. The Indian Tamils made up 13% of the total population. The Indigenous Tamils made up another 20%. At the time of independence, the minority as a whole had 33% of the parliamentary vote. After the introduction of the Citizenship Act, that was reduced to 20%. The Sinhalese had more than the 2/3 majority at every parliament, effectively cutting off any say that the Tamils could have on any policies that would affect them. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceylon_Citizenship_Act)
1956 - S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was elected prime minister in 1956 and championed rising Sinhalese, Buddhist nationalism, by making Sinhala the country's sole official language (the Sinhala Only Bill) dropping both English and Tamil. “The Bandaranaike government had directed that unless a Tamil public servant passed a proficiency test in Sinhala in stages over three years, his annual increment would be suspended and he would eventually be dismissed.” Members of the Federal Party, primarily Tamil Parliamentarians and around 300 Tamil volunteers, took up Satyagraha (silent protest), exercising their undoubted constitutional right, protesting against the imposition of the Sinhala Only Bill. However, protesters were set upon by Sinhalese rioters, incited by the Buddhist clergy and nationalist organizations. The violence soon spread throughout Colombo and Tamils found walking on the streets or traveling on buses and trains were grabbed and assaulted. Around 150 people, including women and children, were killed during the race riots of 1956. All this occurred with the tacit approval of the police and army that had surrounded the area. Not a single action was taken against the perpetrators. The Tamils learnt that day that they could not rely on their own government to protect their rights to speak out. It was the first indication that the protection of the Law did not extend to them. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1956_anti-Tamil_pogrom)
1958 - Anti-Tamil riots occur on a wider scale and leave more than 200 people dead. Men, woman and children were massacred and hacked or burnt alive. It began as a Government instigated attack on the Workers Trade Union Federation but turned towards Tamils. The “58 riots” displaced thousands of Tamils. Trains were derailed by armed thugs and prominent Tamils delegates, traveling to a Federal Party convention were taken out and massacred. Over the next few days the violence spread to many parts of the North Central and eastern provinces. Bands of Sinhalese armed with guns and swords attacked Tamil villages and set fire to houses. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1958_anti-Tamil_pogrom)
1959 - Bandaranaike is assassinated by a Bhuddist monk. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_S._W._R._D._Bandaranaike) He is succeeded by his widow, Srimavo, who continues the nationalisation programme by introducing a new constitution. All British tea companies are nationalized without compensation.
1961 - Srimavo introduces a new constitution, with which the minority protection clause 29 in the 1948 constitution, that provided protection to all minorities against discrimination disappears. She cuts off negotiations with the Tamil political leader Chelvanayakam. The Language Act came into effect in 1961 and the Tamil leadership responded by calling for non-violent agitation. The peaceful protesters were again targeted by government troops and were attacked with rifle butts, belts and clubs. Jaffna came under virtual army occupation. All communication links from the rest of the world were cut off. The postal, telegraphic and telephone services were suspended along with buses and trains. Soldiers ran rampage by looting stores, and killing civilians under the pretence of enforcing a curfew.
1965 - Opposition United National Party wins elections and attempts to reverse nationalisation measures.
1966 - Demonstrations in Colombo organized by the SLFP, left-wing parties, and trade unions in protest of the Tamil Regulations Act turned into riots, forcing the Government of Ceylon to declare a state of emergency. (https://tamilnation.org/srilankalaws/66regulations.htm)
1969 - Ceylon Communist Party (Maoist) conducted a mass rally in 1969 which ended in bloodshed, the major cause for the riot is the banning of the May Day rally (read here)
1970 - Srimavo Bandaranaike returns to power and extends the nationalisation programme.
1971 - Rebellion by JVP, a militant Sinhalese Guevarist organisation, was suppressed by the government, with almost 15 000 killed. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_JVP_insurrection)
1972 – The island becomes a Republic, Ceylon changes its name to Sri Lanka and Buddhism is given primary place as country's religion, further antagonizing the Tamil minority.
1974 - Police go on rampage during a Tamil cultural event killing 9 people. Popular unrest and youth violence immediately followed. A wave of arrests and crackdowns only helped add to the tensions. An official report is presented to Parliament by the Government on a standardisation process for university admissions. This new district quota system favoured Sinhalese students and discriminated against the Tamils. The intake of Tamils into universities decreased dramatically, further alienating Tamils. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974_Tamil_conference_incident)
1976 – The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is formed to fight for an independent homeland, as tensions increase in Tamil-dominated areas of the North and East. The country starts its slide towards civil war. The Tamil youth movements had abandoned the legal course of action, reasoning that if every law since independence had been targeted at subjugating the Tamils, why should the Tamils then obey those laws? Increased attacks against the police and political figures resulted in even greater restrictions and further anti-Tamil riots.
1976 - Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) party passes the Vaddukkodai Resolution - a resolution calling for a separate state. They use this resolution as a platform for the elections the following year.
1977 - Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) wins all seats in Tamil areas (north and the east of Sri Lanka). Effectively this meant that the Tamils of Sri Lanka had voted for separation. Anti-Tamil riots leave more than 300 Tamils dead. Tamil owned properties were destroyed and over 40 000 people were rendered homeless. The murders (of Tamils) are said to have been committed by police either acting without orders or with the connivance of the police. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1977_anti-Tamil_pogrom)
1981 - Sinhala policemen accused of burning the Jaffna Public Library, causing further resentment in Tamil community. Over 95 000 volumes of the public library was destroyed including many irreplaceable and culturally important manuscripts. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_Jaffna_Public_Library)
1981 - Further anti-Tamil riots take place on the island. It is clear that the subsequent violence in July and August which was directed against Sri Lanka Tamils in the east and south of the country and the Indian Tamil tea estate workers in the central region, was not random. It was stimulated, and in some cases organized, by members of the ruling UNP, among them intimates of the President JR Jeyawardane (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_anti-Tamil_pogrom)
1981 - Black July. Read below given links. (https://elamurugans.blogspot.com/2021/07/black-july-1983-events-reports-all.html) & (https://elamurugans.blogspot.com/2021/07/black-july-anti-tamil-riots-in-sri.html) It was after this the affected by the anti-Tamil pogram, masses of Tamils join the LTTE and others flee the country and became homeless.
1984 - The Chunnakam Police station massacre refers to the killing of 19 ethnic Tamil civilians by the Sri Lankan Police, at Chunnakam, a suburb of Jaffna. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chunnakam_Police_station_massacre)
1984 - Chunnakam market massacre was a massacre of Sri Lankan Tamil civilians by the Sri Lankan military in Chunnakam, a suburb of Jaffna in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chunnakam_market_massacre)
1984 - Sampalthoddam massacre. Sampalthoddam is a village three miles along Mannar road from Vavuniya town. Today this is called Navalarpannai. People were returning from a wedding in a privately hired bus. The SLA stopped the bus near Pambamadu and took all 70 people on the bus to a teak estate called Thekkavaththai. There, the SLA sent the 15 women and children who were in the bus and made the remaining 55 men look at the teak trees and then sprayed them with bullets.
1984 - Mathawachchi – Rampawa. A passenger bus that was going to Jafna from Colombo was stopped at the place called Mathawachchi by the SLF and 15 civilian including the driver was killed and 30 wounded.
1984 Point Pedro massacre. Point Pedro, a town in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. Police violence resulted in the deaths of at least 16 Tamils and also a high damage to the local property. The Hartley College library was burned down along with its laboratory reminiscent of the Burning of Jaffna library. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Point_Pedro_massacre)
1984 - Manal Aru massacres. refers to a series of massacres of Sri Lankan Tamil civilians by the Sri Lankan military across numerous traditional Tamil villages in the Manal Aru region which spans across the Mullaitivu and Trincomalee districts. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Manal_Aru_massacres#Othiyamalai)
1985 - Civil war intensifies. First attempt at peace talks between government and LTTE, known as the Thimpu talks, is mediated by India and fails. Tamils continue to be murdered, raped and harassed by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. (click here to read more about Thimpu talks) & (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thimpu_principles)
1987 - Government forces push LTTE back into northern city of Jaffna. India and Sri Lanka sign the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord and Sri Lanka accepts India's offer to send peace-keeping force into the north of the country to disarm the rebels and pave the way for political reforms. Eventually Indian forces are found to have committed rape and murder of Tamil inhabitants, and the LTTE put up a vigorous resistance against the Indian forces, killing an estimated 1,200 Indian soldiers.
1988 - Left-wing and nationalist Sinhalese JVP begins campaign against Indo-Sri Lankan agreement.
1990 - Indian peace-keeping force leaves after getting bogged down in fighting in north. Violence between Sri Lankan army and separatists escalates. The Second Eelam War begins.
1991 - LTTE are implicated in assassination of the Indian premier Rajiv Gandhi in southern India.
1993 - President Premadasa killed in an LTTE bomb attack.
1994 - The People’s Alliance led by Chandrika Kumaratunge wins Sri Lankan Parliamentary elections. LTTE unilaterally announces a temporary ceasefire. Kumaratunge wins Presidential election with a landslide on a platform of "ending the war and bringing peace."
1995 – The Sri Lankan government and LTTE sign cessation hostilities agreement. The government announces lifting of economic embargo on most items, but armed forces at the border checkpoints continue to enforce the embargo. The government ignores the ultimatum and LTTE calls off the peace talks and the Third Eelam War begins.
and goes on and on...... I will stop with this, as after this, we would know what happened. if don't know, there are lot of articles available at various sites and YouTube, you can read and understand.
The list of massacre from 1980 until today which is been properly documented and submitted to UN with valid proof is close to 100+ incidents, which was all either conducted by the Sinhalese or the government army and police personnel's.
Forget about other country issues, how many of us are aware of this ethnic cleansing that is happening to our very own Tamil race?
I can hear you saying, what can we do? Atleast understand that this has happened to our very own race. when this is happening in Srilanka, it wont take too long for this to happen in our very own Tamilnadu. Already people from North have started to claim that, Tamilians fled from Indus valley civilization and settled in Tamilnadu, and they are not the original inhabitants of Tamilnadu. I am not lying, read the newspapers and conventional media, you could hear one or two talking it. soon this 1 will become 100 and 1000 and it wont take long for the people who have already done so much of damages to Tamil and Tamilians to go one step higher.
WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE. TAMILA.
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