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Chapter 14 Sri Lanka HISTORICAL BACKGROUND843 The present conflict between the Sinhalese and Tamil communities in Sri Lanka (known as Ceylon until 1972) has deep historical roots, dating back to the first century A.D. It is claimed that the Sinhala race was founded in Sri Lanka, an island of 66,000 square kilometers off the southeastern tip of the Indian sub-continent, in the fifth century B.C. by an exiled prince from northern India. The Sinhalese are said to be of Aryan origin, while the Tamils are Dravidians from southern India. Some have suggested, however, that there are no real racial differences between Sinhalese and Tamils, and that the only significant distinctions are cultural, linguistic, and religious.R44 The Tamils and Sinhalese displaced the indigenous Vedic peoples, of whom few remain today. There are two separate Tamil communities in Sri Lanka: the "Jaffna" or "Ceylon Tamils" and the "Indian" or "estate Tamils." The precise date of arrival in Sri Lanka of the "Ceylon Tamils" is disputed, but there were Tamil incursions from South India at least by the first century A.D. Major Tamil invasions took place from 700 to 1300, culminating in the establishment of a Tamil kingdom in northern Ceylon, and Buddhist historical chronicles note frequent wars between Sinhalese and Tamil kings. The "Indian" or "estate" Tamils are much more recent arrivals, having been brought to Ceylon as indentured laborers by the British in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to work on the tea and rubber plantations in the central highlands of the country. 843 Material in this section, up to 1981,is largely drawn from Virginia Leary, Erlznic Conflict and Violerlce in Sri Lanka (Geneva: International Commission of Jurists, 1981) [hereinafter cited as "1981 ICJ Report"] at 7-35. 844 See, e.g.,Committee for Rational Development, Sri Lanka, The Etlznic Cor7j?ict (New Delhi: Navrang, 1984) at 41-44. Chapter 14 Sri Lanka HISTORICAL BACKGROUN0843 The present conflict between the Sinhalese and Tamil communities in Sri Lanka (known as Ceylon until 1972) has deep historical roots, dating back to the first century A.D. It is claimed that the Sinhala race was founded in Sri Lanka, an island of 66,000 square kilometers off the southeastern tip of the Indian sub-continent, in the fifth century B.C. by an exiled prince from northern India. The Sinhalese are said to be of Aryan origin, while the Tamils are Dravidians from southern India. Some have suggested, however, that there are no real racial differences between Sinhalese and Tamils, and that the only significant distinctions are cultural, linguistic, and religious.844 The Tamils and Sinhalese displaced the indigenous Vedic peoples, of whom few remain today. There are two separate Tamil communities in Sri Lanka: the "Jaffna" or "Ceylon Tamils" and the "Indian" or "estate Tamils." The precise date of arrival in Sri Lanka of the "Ceylon Tamils" is disputed, but there were Tamil incursions from South India at least by the first century A.D. Major Tamil invasions took place from 700 to 1300, culminating in the establishment of a Tamil kingdom in northern Ceylon, and Buddhist historical chronicles note frequent wars between Sinhalese and Tamil kings. The "Indian" or "estate" Tamils are much more recent arrivals, having been brought to Ceylon as indentured laborers by the British in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to work on the tea and rubber plantations in the central highlands of the country. 843 Material in this section, up to 1981, is largely drawn from Virginia Leary, Ethnic Conflict and Violence in Sri Lanka (Geneva: International Commission of Jurists, 1981) [hereinafter cited as "1981 IeJ Report"] at 7-35. 844 See, e.g., Committee for Rational Development, Sri Lanka, The Ethnic Conflict (New Delhi: Navrang, 1984) at 41-44. Sri Lanka 281 The two Tamil communities have remained largely separate. The Ceylon Tamils are concentrated in the northern part of the island, particularly in the Jaffna peninsula, although substantial numbers live in Colombo, the eastern region, and some southern areas. The estate Tamils are found primarily in the hill country in central Sri Lanka. The Ceylon Tamils are, in general, a relatively prosperous and well educated group; the estate Tamils have lived and worked in conditions of misery and poverty. At present, Ceylon Tamils constitute approximately 12.6% of the population of Sri Lanka and estate Tamils 5.5%.X45 The primary problem faced by the estate Tamils has been that their citizenship was revoked (or denied) by...

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