Injustices Inflicted on Tamils Before the Armed Struggle
Injustices Inflicted on Tamils Before the Armed Struggle
From the time Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948, a series of laws were enacted that, according to this account, deprived Tamil people of their fundamental rights.
Disenfranchisement of Up-Country Tamils (1948):
Immediately after independence, the Ceylon Citizenship Act stripped approximately one million Up-Country (Hill Country) Tamils, who worked on tea plantations, of their citizenship and voting rights, rendering them stateless.
Sinhala Only Act (1956):
This law, introduced by Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, denied official status to the Tamil language and made Sinhala the country’s sole official language. As a result, many Tamil government employees lost their jobs.
Standardization Policy (1971):
A university admissions policy known as Standardization was introduced. According to critics, this policy deliberately restricted Tamil students’ access to universities despite their academic merit. Students from Jaffna were particularly affected.
State-Sponsored Settlements:
In areas regarded by Tamils as part of their traditional homeland—such as Trincomalee, Batticaloa, and Manal Aru (Weli Oya)—Sinhala settlers were reportedly settled through government-backed schemes, and Tamil lands were taken over.
- Massacres and Ethnic Riots Before the Armed Struggle
The following are major incidents of violence and ethnic unrest directed against Tamils who were engaged in non-violent political protest, according to this account.
The 1956 Riots (Gal Oya Massacre):
Tamils, led by S.J.V. Chelvanayakam (“Thanthai Chelva”), staged a peaceful satyagraha protest at Galle Face Green in Colombo against the Sinhala Only Act. Sinhala mobs attacked the demonstrators. The violence later escalated into large-scale riots in the Gal Oya area of the Eastern Province. More than 150 Tamils were reportedly killed by Sinhala settlers there. This is often described as Sri Lanka’s first major ethnic riot.
The 1958 Anti-Tamil Riots:
Following the abrogation of the Bandaranaike–Chelvanayakam Pact due to Sinhala opposition, anti-Tamil violence erupted across the country. In places such as Colombo and Polonnaruwa, Tamils were attacked, some were reportedly burned alive, and women were subjected to sexual violence. Hundreds of Tamils were killed. Tens of thousands were displaced and transported by ship to Jaffna as refugees.
The 1974 World Tamil Research Conference Massacre (Jaffna):
On the final day of the Fourth International Conference of Tamil Studies in Jaffna (10 January 1974), when tens of thousands of people had gathered, Sinhala police under the command of officer Chandra Perera allegedly opened fire and used tear gas. During the chaos, an electrical wire fell into the crowd, and people were crushed in the stampede. Nine Tamils were killed.
The 1977 Anti-Tamil Riots
In the 1977 general election, Tamils voted overwhelmingly in support of the Vaddukoddai Resolution, which called for a separate Tamil state. In response, according to this account, mobs and members of the security forces carried out widespread anti-Tamil violence across the country. More than 300 Tamils were reportedly killed.
The Burning of the Jaffna Public Library (1981)
On 31 May 1981, the Jaffna Public Library—one of the largest libraries in Asia, containing more than 95,000 rare books and manuscripts—was set on fire by police officers and mobs in the presence of Sinhala government ministers. The incident is widely regarded by Tamils as a major act of cultural destruction and is often described as an act of cultural genocide against the Tamil people’s intellectual and cultural heritage.
- How Did the Armed Struggle Emerge?
It was in the context of continuing discrimination, violence, and massacres that the Tamil political struggle evolved from non-violent resistance into armed militancy.
The Failure of Non-Violence
Leaders such as S.J.V. Chelvanayakam (“Thanthai Chelva”) pursued peaceful, Gandhian methods of protest for more than three decades, from 1956 through the late 1970s. Agreements reached with successive governments—including the Bandaranaike–Chelvanayakam Pact and the Dudley–Chelvanayakam Pact—were subsequently abandoned by Sinhala political leaders. Peaceful demonstrations and civil disobedience campaigns were frequently met with violence and repression.
The Frustration of Tamil Youth
Disillusioned by the university standardization policy, unemployment, and recurring episodes of violence against Tamils, many Tamil youths came to believe that peaceful methods could not secure their rights. They increasingly concluded that armed resistance was the only effective means of defending their community and achieving political objectives.
The Vaddukoddai Resolution (1976)
Following the perceived failure of non-violent political efforts, the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) adopted the Vaddukoddai Resolution in 1976. The resolution declared that the establishment of an independent and sovereign state of Tamil Eelam was the ultimate political solution for the Sri Lankan Tamil people.
The Emergence of Armed Groups
Against this backdrop, several Tamil militant organizations emerged during the early 1970s, including groups such as the Tamil Students’ League.
In 1972, Velupillai Prabhakaran founded the Tamil New Tigers (TNT), which later evolved into the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 1976.
During the same period, several other armed organizations were also formed, including TELO, EROS, PLOTE, and EPRLF.
Conclusion
According to this perspective, it was only after the anti-Tamil pogrom known as Black July in July 1983 that the armed struggle transformed into a mass movement and escalated into a full-scale civil war. The argument presented is that Tamils were driven to take up arms because they saw no other means of protecting their lives, property, and dignity. This is presented as the historical explanation for the emergence of the armed conflict.
Translation by Hari
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