Origins of Conflict

For over 2500 years, Sri Lanka has been inhabited by Tamils and Sinhalese. For a majority of this time, they have peacefully coexisted as separate nations. Upon independence from British rule, Sri Lanka was left as a unitary State without constitutional safeguards and protection of national minorities. Under pressure from Sinhala nationalists, successive governments have imposed discriminatory policies which gave supremacy to Sinhala language and religion while eliminating equal accessibility to education and employment among Tamils.

This booklet chronicles the turbulent history of the island through to the recurring episodes of discrimination and violence against Tamils leading up to the start of the civil war in 1983.