Sri Lanka was rocked by the Civil War which started in 1983 and sapped Sri Lankan economy and peace for almost 25 years. The Tamilians are grouped in two categories Jaffna Tamils constitute about 13.5% of the total population. They have been living there for centuries and have retained their original Hindu identity and faith, in spite of the rest of island having been converted to Buddhism.
The second category Indian Tamils constitutes 5.5% of total population. Majority of second category are the immigrants who were lured by the British when Sri Lanka was thrown open to plantation crops by them. They engaged the Tamil labour from Tamil Nadu from 1850s onward.
The Jaffna Tamils had their genuine complaint which consists of discrimination and wanton exclusion from the island economy. In 1983 the first sign of trouble arose when Tamilians in a top security prison were attacked and killed in large number. There have been a number of Tamil organizations vying for attention in Sri Lanka.
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In 1987 India had committed its troops for peacekeeping operations to enforce a truce between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Government. For unknown reasons Prabhakaran, Velupillai, founder of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, had decided to abandon the earlier guerilla warfare and launched a frontal war on the Sri Lankan troops in early 2009.
In this open conflict, the LTTE was no match to the Sri Lankan army which had been strengthened and reinforced by China and probably Pakistan. The LTTE was declared a terrorist organization by the US and its accounts were frozen. The LTTE suffered a major defeat when it was disclosed on May 18, 2009 that top seven LTTE leaders including Prabhakaran and his son Charles Anthony had been killed.
The news was welcomed all over but the aftermath has not been conductive to the comfort and well being of the Tamilians. It is on record documented by United Nations Human Rights Commission and also International Red Cross that the Tamilians have been very badly treated, tortured and humiliated by the Sri Lankan Government.
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Contrary to the assurances given to the United Nations and other agencies, over 260,000 Tamilians were still being kept in Camps without adequate facilities for housing, education, boarding & lodging. The Sri Lankan govt, has been adopting an inhuman approach to the problems and punishing the Tamilians for their role during the Civil War.
Surprisingly, no organization in India including Tamil Nadu has protested against the injustice and the insults being faced by the Tamilians. Why cannot we protect the Hindus who are the target of state torture in our neighbouring countries?
Elections were held in Sri Lanka on Jan. 26. 2010. The two main contestants were Mahinda Rajapaksa and the former army General Sarath Fonseka. Mahinda Rajapaksa won the elections; Gen. Fonseca was arrested soon afterwards for plotting to kill Rajapaksa in Feb. 2010.