The Sri Lankan Conflict

The story of the Sri Lanka conflict is tragic.  It is also often difficult to understand because of the conflicting ways in which the sides in the conflict describe it.   The links here are intended first to introduce you to background information about the conflict and then to let those who are involved in the conflict speak for themselves.

Assignment 1:  The Background of the Conflict

Overview

Here is a good map of Sri Lanka to get you oriented, and another one which shows the population distribution. (Some population shifts may have taken place in the past few years, but this map gives at least an approximation of the distribution.)  Take a look at these maps. What does the population distribution suggest about where conflict might arise?

Then take a look at what the Lonely Planet website has to say about Sri Lanka, from the point of view of a traveller wanting to go there.  Contrast that with this page titled "Thinking of Travelling to Sri Lanka?", published by a Tamil organization.  Here are a few more photographs that may give you a sense of what Sri Lanka looks like.

History

Many people involved in the conflict might tell you that we must understand the history of Sri Lanka in order to understand the current conflict. What has happened there over the past 50 years? The past 2000? What has happened, and how important such events are, depends on whose account you read. Here are some questions to help you understand the complexity of the issues.

Begin by reading up to the year 1505 in this "Chronology of Historical Events in Sri Lanka". From whose perspective does this chronology appear to be written? Why do you think so?

Now read this "Early History" of the Sri Lanka. From whose perspective is this written? What are the major differences between it and the previous account?

What have you now learned about some of the main issues that underlie the conflict?

Please be prepared to discuss all of these questions in class.

Assignment 2:  Riots

Begin by taking a look at today's news from Sri Lanka, here presented by the The Lanka Academic newspaper.  Note in particular any items that have to do with the conflict.

There have been periodic riots in Sri Lanka in which Sinhalese people have attacked Tamils, in 1958, 1977, 1981, and 1983.  Go to this site commemorating the 16th anniversary of the 1983 riots and read one or two of the descriptions there.  What accusations are being made?  

More recently, there was a series of incidents between Sinhalese and Tamil people in the hill country of Nuwara Eliya, beginning when a Sinhalese mob stormed a rehabilitation camp and killed 26 of the Tamil detainees there.  To understand the cycle of violence and retribution that ensued, read this news story about the riots that broke out in Talawakele and other towns in Nuwara Eliya in the days after the massacre and this description of the riots by Human Rights Watch.  Then take a look at these photographs of the damage done to Sinhalese homes outside of Talawakele in the riots there.

Assignment 3:  Getting the Message Out

Groups who are in conflict often try to get their messages out to the outside world.  Take a look at some of the following messages put out by a variety of groups and answer the following questions about each one:

1.  Who produced or created this message?
2.  What is the purpose of the message?
3.  What techniques are being used to create an image of the "good" and "bad" sides of the conflict?

Here are some sites to look at:

The home page for the LTTE

Sinhaya.com

The web site of the President of Sri Lanka

An article on Tamil women in Sri Lanka

Please be prepared to discuss these in class.

Assignment 4:  Positions and Interests in the Conflict

In preparation for our interviews, I would like you to read through some of the materials at these sites:

First, the website for the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington, DC.  Read through this biography of H.E. Devinda R. Subasinghe - Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the United States and Mexico, and then read this speech given by the Ambassador on international cooperation in combatting terrorism.

Then look at this site, the home page of Ilankai Tamil Sangam, USA, which is an organization of Tamils from Sri Lanka who live in the U.S.  In particular, read this article describing about Col. Karuna and his break with the LTTE and this discussion of terrorism.  

Then look through the materials collected at the Eliminate LTTE Terrorism from Sri Lanka and the World site.

Finally, to have an up-to-date sense of what is happening in Sri Lanka, take a look through the headlines at The Lanka Academic.  

These materials will help you prepare for our class discussions.