Here is a quick history of Tamils in the Island of Sri Lanka.

Here is a quick history of Tamils in the Island of Sri Lanka

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The shortest distance between India and the Island of Sri Lanka is about sixteen miles. It is a distance that can be easily navigated by the catamarans that Tamils on both sides of the straight used. Some researchers have concluded that it was during the period 6000 B.C. to 3000 B.C. that the island separated from the Indian sub continent and the narrow strip of shallow water known today as the Palk Straits came into existence after a powerful Tsunami or Earth quake.

Who are these Tamils, also known as Dravidians? Clyde Ahmad Winters, who has written extensively on Dravidian origins commented:

"Archaeological and linguistic evidence indicates that the Dravidians were the founders of the Harappan culture which extended from the Indus Valley through northeastern Afghanistan, on into Turkestan. The Harappan civilization existed from 2600-1700 BC. The Harappan civilization was twice the size the Old Kingdom of Egypt. In addition to trade relations with Mesopotamia and Iran, the Harappan city states also had active trade relations with the Central Asian peoples.

Singhalese in Sri Lanka first appeared in about 486 BC, when Prince Vijaya, the eldest son of Sinha Bahu, King of Sinhapura, landed at the Island of Sri Lanka with seven hundred companions from his father's kingdom in North India. (The government of Sri Lanka sometimes states that the Tamils are recent migrants to the Island. In fact, Tamils inhabited Sri Lanka for millennia before the Singhalese arrived.)

The Sri Lankan government also claims that the island is not visible from the Indian sub continent. Others disagree. From a fishing boat in the Palk Straight, sailors can see both lands simultaneously. Indians and residents in Sri Lanka have certainly known about the land on the other side of the straight for as long as humans lived in India and Sri Lanka.
There were wars from time to time between the Tamil Kingdom on Sri Lanka and the Singhalese kingdom started after the arrival of Prince Vijaya from north India
The Portuguese arrived in Ceylon in 1505. The Portuguese were displaced in 1638 by the Dutch. Dutch rule lasted until 1796, when they were forced out by the British.
British rule lasted until 1948. What had been separate kingdoms of Tamils and Singhalese were united in a single country under British rule.. Independence came with no recognition of the different languages, cultures, and national aspirations of the two races. In Sri Lanka since independence, the majority Singhalese population has controlled the government and all national institutions. The British government, which had helped India to find a political solution that recognized various cultures and languages in India, showed no such foresight in Sri Lanka.

The First Prime Minister of Ceylon, elected by the majority Singhalese, started a land grabbing program which benefited Singhalese. The government resettled Singhalese in areas that had been inhabited by Tamils. They changed the names of theses places from Tamil to Singhalese names. It was the start of ethnic cleansing and mistrust of the Singhalese majority among Tamils.

Tamil leaders began to seek a federal state for Tamils in Sri Lanka as the hostility of the national Singhalese government became clear. The boundaries of this Tamil State roughly matched those of the former Tamil Kingdom. To achieve this political solution, Tamil leaders became “kingmakers”, holding the balance of power between the two major Ceylon Singhalese parties. When these methods failed to produce a political settlement, Tamils attempted a path of Gandhian nonviolent disobedience.

All efforts to achieve the federal state for Tamils failed. In the meantime, Ceylon’s Singhalese leaders forced their language on Tamils and made Singhalese the country’s official language. They discriminated against Tamils in government employment, blocked all economical development in Tamil areas, and discriminated against Tamils in higher education. In 1972, the Ceylonese constitution was changed. It revoked protections for religious and ethnic minorities. Specifically, Buddhism was given favored position, at the expense of Hinduism, Christianity, or any other religion. Most Singhalese are Buddhist. Most Tamils are Hindus or Christians. The Constitution also changed the name of the country to the Singhalese term Sri Lanka. In 1977, the Sri Lankan constitution introduced a Gaullist system, giving the president much greater power. In the previous parliament, the Tamil party had gained enough seats to become the
official opposition party. The constitution was changed to minimize Tamil representation so that the Tamil party would never be the official opposition again. Also, advocating self-rule for a minority – a Tamil goal for years – became a crime.

Sri Lanka government-inspired race riots took place in 1958, 1977, and 1983. During the riots many Tamils were killed, Tamil businesses were destroyed, and Tamils’ houses were burned. Tamils were forced to leave the Island for India and other countries. Tamils suffered from subjugation, atrocities, absence of educational opportunity, and employment discrimination. Tamil youths started a political campaign against the Singhalese government by distributing leaflets and posters. The Singhalese government responded with “disappearances” of Tamil youths by Sri Lankan armed forces. Many Tamils were imprisoned with severe punishment. In 1983, widespread violent ethnic riots against Tamils led the Tamil youths to form a resistance force against the Sri Lankan armed forces. It was the start of the Tamil Tigers.

The Tamil Tigers (LTTE, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) was designated as a terrorist
organization by the Clinton Administration in 1994. During this civil war there was a hope that the Clinton administration would be able to bring about a political solution. But again the Sri Lankan Singhalese leaders failed or refused to find a solution.
In the meantime, the Tamil Tigers have become a more widely accepted resistance and offensive force among Tamils.
Starting in 2002, there was a ceasefire that was initiated by the US, UK, EU, Japan, and Norway. It was called the Norwegian initiated ceasefire. During the ceasefire, Tamils asked for a federal solution. It was accepted by the Singhalese and International Communities. The Tamil Tigers proposed an interim federal administration for Tamil areas, so that they could improve the life of Tamils after the vicious civil war. The political solution was then rejected by the Sri Lankan

Singhalese leader, the president, Ms. Kumaratunga. This refusal came when the president, Ms. Kumaratunga, dissolved the parliament and thereby dismissed the prime minister, who was negotiating with the Tamils. The 2004 Tsunami that hit the Island was the worst catastrophe to strike Sri Lanka in modern history. It took over 17,000 lives. The Tamil areas were affected heavily. The world was ready to help. The UN envoy on the tsunami, former president Clinton, asked both Tamils and Singhalese to share the tsunami fund that was allocated by the UN and international donors. However, the Sri
Lankan Singhalese leaders refused to share the resources with Tamils to rehabilitate the tsunami-hit areas. The Colombo government refused to allow UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Bill Clinton to visit Tamil Areas when they were in Sri Lanka. Most of the Tamil areas hit by the tsunami are still not rehabilitated. Bill Clinton was so frustrated by the Sri Lankan government’s refusal to share the funds that he skipped his last scheduled trip to Sri Lanka. He did visit other countries that had tsunami damage.
This refusal to share international aid hardened mistrust among Tamils for the Singhalesedominated government. There were witnesses to these abuses among the international community, which is not always the case.

Ms. Kumaratunga was replaced after two terms by Mr. Rajapaksa, who was elected in November, 2005. He also rejected the federal political solution for Tamils. After initial peace talks with the Tamil Tigers failed, the civil war resumed, this time with the government using more highly sophisticated and damaging weapons. These weapons were purchased from Pakistan and China. The government pressed the war in other ways. The main highway (the A-9) to Tamil Areas was
blocked. Abductions increased. Tamil journalists were murdered. Tamil Academics were also killed. Tamil businessmen and upper-class Tamils were “disappeared”: they were abducted and never seen again. Tamils were forced from their homes by bombing and shelling. Make-shift refugee camps began to appear filled with Tamil middle-class refugees. Tamil elected members of the national legislature were killed, apparently by government surrogates. These measures all were meant to suppress the Tamils’ voice. All these things happened during the Norwegian initiated
cease-fire. Finally, the cease-fire agreement that was mutually agreed upon was officially aborted by the Sri Lanka Singhalese Leader, Mr. Rajapaksa. Refusal of any political solution by the Sri Lankan government has led to the killing of an
estimated 70,000 Tamils, so far.
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நன்றி இலங்கை மைந்தன்.