The Sri Lankan Civil War: Insurgency against the Government by the LTTE
Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University
Lucknow
2012-13
Final Draft on
THE SRI LANKAN CIVIL WAR
Submitted To: Submitted By:
Dr. A. P. Singh Diviangna Garg
Asst. Prof. in Law Roll No. 46 Semester IV
BRIEF HISTORY
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on 23 July 1983, there was an intermittent insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (the LTTE, also known as the Tamil Tigers), a separatist militant organisation which fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam in the north and the east of the island. After a 26-year military campaign, the Sri Lankan military defeated the Tamil Tigers in May 2009, bringing the civil war to an end.
For over 25 years, this civil war caused significant hardships for the population, environment and the economy of the country, with an estimated 80,000–100,000 people killed during its course. During the early part of the conflict, the Sri Lankan forces attempted to retake the areas captured by the LTTE. The Sri Lankan government forces have also been accused of human rights abuses, systemic impunity for serious human rights violations, lack of respect for habeas corpus in arbitrary detentions and forced disappearances. In the early 1970s, gradual disenfranchising of minority Tamils began with passing of two laws — the first which limited Tamil enrollment in universities, and the second which declared that Buddhism had ‘foremost place’ in Sri Lanka. As Tamil opposition grew, de facto segregation of two ethnic groups inside the civil service, police and army only intensified.
In 1976, the guerrilla group Tamil Tigers was formed under Vellupillai Prabhakaran, and began its bloody campaign for a Tamil homeland that claimed 60% of the island’s coastline, and its only major port, the famed Trincomalee. For the next three decades, a spectacularly bloody civil war was fought on land, in
Lucknow
2012-13
Final Draft on
THE SRI LANKAN CIVIL WAR
Submitted To: Submitted By:
Dr. A. P. Singh Diviangna Garg
Asst. Prof. in Law Roll No. 46 Semester IV
BRIEF HISTORY
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on 23 July 1983, there was an intermittent insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (the LTTE, also known as the Tamil Tigers), a separatist militant organisation which fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam in the north and the east of the island. After a 26-year military campaign, the Sri Lankan military defeated the Tamil Tigers in May 2009, bringing the civil war to an end.
For over 25 years, this civil war caused significant hardships for the population, environment and the economy of the country, with an estimated 80,000–100,000 people killed during its course. During the early part of the conflict, the Sri Lankan forces attempted to retake the areas captured by the LTTE. The Sri Lankan government forces have also been accused of human rights abuses, systemic impunity for serious human rights violations, lack of respect for habeas corpus in arbitrary detentions and forced disappearances. In the early 1970s, gradual disenfranchising of minority Tamils began with passing of two laws — the first which limited Tamil enrollment in universities, and the second which declared that Buddhism had ‘foremost place’ in Sri Lanka. As Tamil opposition grew, de facto segregation of two ethnic groups inside the civil service, police and army only intensified.
In 1976, the guerrilla group Tamil Tigers was formed under Vellupillai Prabhakaran, and began its bloody campaign for a Tamil homeland that claimed 60% of the island’s coastline, and its only major port, the famed Trincomalee. For the next three decades, a spectacularly bloody civil war was fought on land, in
Bibliography: 4. ‘No- Win Situation’ Frontline (Vol. 29 Issue 01 Jan 14-27 2012). 8. ‘The Hidden Massacre’ The Times (London, 29 May 2009) www.timesonline.co.uk accessed 14 February 2013. 9. Frances Harrison ‘Twenty years on – riots that led to war’ (July 23, 2003 BBC News). [ 11 ]. Frances Harrison ‘Twenty years on – riots that led to war’ (July 23, 2003 BBC News). [ 12 ]. ‘The Hidden Massacre’ The Times (London, 29 May 2009) www.timesonline.co.uk accessed 14 February 2013. [ 18 ]. ‘No- Win Situation’ Frontline (Vol. 29 Issue 01 Jan 14-27 2012). [ 20 ]. ‘No- Win Situation’ Frontline (Vol. 29 Issue 01 Jan 14-27 2012).