Sec3 chapter4 conflict in multi-ethnic societies (sri lanka)_slideshare

Chapter 4

Conflict In Multi-Ethnic Societies:

Case Studies of Sri Lanka and

Northern Ireland

Conflict in Multi-Ethnic Societies

There are many countries in the world today where people of different races live side by side.

Sometimes they live harmoniously.

Sometimes conflicts arises because of differences.

Buzz Break 1 Discuss with your partner about what

would be some of these reasons.

Lesson Today

You will learn:

What are the reasons for conflicts in multi-ethnic societies?

Case Study of the causes of the Singhalese-Tamil conflict in Sri Lanka.

Review People of different races and religions disagree

for many reasons:

Unhappy when they can’t practice their traditional way of life.

Unhappy over education and language policies that are unfair to them.

Disagree over job opportunities and sharing of economic resources.

Multi-ethnic societies

People who see themselves as different from other groups.

Different in: culture, religion, physical features or languagebeliefs, values and customs.

Differences add to cultural diversity

However can cause misunderstanding and ultimately tear apart societies.

Chapter Focus:

Case Studies: Sri Lanka

Northern Ireland

Each have different groups of people living together. With:

Each resident group having a different view on how the country should be governed.

Different views have led to violence. Why?

Brief History of Sri Lanka• The Sinhalese arrived in late 6th century B.C.,

probably from northern India. • Buddhism introduced beginning about 3rd century B.C. • Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the

17th century. Ceded to the British in 1796.

• It became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972.

• Ethnic tensions erupted into war in 1983. Still fighting

after 3 decades.

British colonial period (1796 -1948)

Introduced tea cultivation on a major scale.

Local population too small to provide adequate workforce.

Brought in hundreds of manual workers from Southern India (Tamil workers)

British Administration of Ceylon

British had been in India longer and had trained the Indians there for administration

British felt that they could rely on the Indians (South Indian Tamils) for administration in Ceylon.

As well make use of them for manual labor.

Who are the Sri Lankans?

Demographic composition:

Sinhalese majority (largest number) Tamil majority (Second largest)

Natives to the island (Singhalese) Immigrants to the island (Tamils)

Ceylon was made up of two nations

Why are the Sinhalese and Tamils in conflict?

Tension between the Tamils & Sinhalese went back to the British colonial era.

After independence, the new government which was dominated by the Sinhalese.

Introduced policies which were biased in favor of the Sinhalese.

Reasons for conflict in Sri Lanka

The roots of the conflict lies with the policies adopted by the Sri Lankan government to:

Try and make Singhalese the main culture & language.

Force minority races to accept the position of Singhalese

Policy 1 – Citizenship RightsWhat was the policy?

Upon gaining independence in 1948, the Sri Lankan government passed the Ceylon Citizenship Act of 1948.

The Act granted citizenship ONLY to those who were either born in Sri Lanka or those whose forefathers were born there.

Policy 1 – Citizenship Rights

Implications of the policy

Result: Many Indian Tamils found themselves stateless.

Stateless:

They were not citizens of any country.

Being stateless - denied basic rights that

citizens are entitled to eg. housing,

education, jobs, voting


Why did it matter?

Tamils lived in Sri Lanka for many years

Despite being denied citizenship privileges, they continued to work on the tea plantations and

Contributed significantly to the Sri Lankan economy.

Policy 1 – Citizenship RightsHow did the conflict worsened?

In 1964, India decided to allow a certain number of Tamils to return to India.

The rest were to be granted Sri Lankan citizenship

Not fully carried out, it was interrupted due to the outbreak of ethnic violence.

100,000 Indian Tamils remain stateless.


Resolution?

2003, Sri Lanka passed the Grant of Citizenship to Persons of Indian Origin Bill.

Bill gave citizenship to:

Any person of Indian origin who had permanently lived in Sri Lanka since 1964.

or Any person descended from someone who had

permanently stayed in Sri Lanka since that date.

Policy 2 – ‘Sinhala Only’ PolicyWhat was the concern?

Under British colonial rule, English-educated Tamils entered colonial service & were promoted.

They occupied some of the most powerful jobs in the Service although they were the minority in the country.

The Sinhalese majority were disadvantaged because they could not read or write English well

Policy 2 – ‘Sinhala Only’ Policy

What was the policy?

However, in 1956, Sinhala was declared the as the country’s official language under the Official Language Act

Replaced English as the official language.



ONLY Sinhala was used as the language of administration in Sri Lanka

All minorities had to learn to speak and use it.


Why does it matter?

Tamils in the government service were given 3 years to learn Sinhala or be dismissed.

The Tamils were upset because they found it difficult to find jobs or be promoted.


How did the conflict worsened?

A peaceful demonstration against the Official Language Act was disrupted by supporters of the Sinhala language.

Rioting occurred and over a hundred deaths resulted


Resolution?

1957 Sri Lankan government and Tamil leader signed a pact to make Tamil the language of a national minority.

Used as language of administration in Northern & Eastern areas.

Issue was resolved – but created bad feelings between Singhalese and Tamils.

Policy 3 – University Admission Criteria


Before 1970 university admission was based on merit and the examinations were in English.

Policy benefited the English-educated Tamils and they scored well in the examinations.


What was the concern?

Proportion of Tamils admitted to university was higher than their proportion in the population.

Singhalese felt that this was unfair as they were the majority race.


The number of Tamil and Sinhalese were almost equal in the more respected medical and engineering courses.

But Tamils made up only 18% of the

population


Resolution?

After 1970 new university admission criteria.

Tamil students had to score higher marks than the Sinhalese students to enter the same courses in the universities.

A fixed number of places in the universities were also reserved for the Sinhalese



Admission no longer based solely on academic results.

This system is still in place today.

Not always the students with the best grades that were admitted – some got in because of their race.

University qualifications were questioned.

Policy 4 – Resettlement


To resettle poor Sinhalese peasants in the 1950s from densely populated southwestern and central areas to Tamil areas

Provide land for these Singhalese to grow crops


Why it matters

Unequal distribution of the Sinhalese and Tamils throughout the island.

Tamils heavily concentrated in highland districts as the majority of them are tea plantation workers.


Sri Lankan Tamils who make up 95% of the population in the Jaffna peninsula.

The Sinhalese are found in large numbers everywhere except in the Jaffna and Batticola districts


Implications

Resettlement also included the Buddhist monks and Sri Lankan Army officers & men as well as their families.

Tamil upset over large-scale resettlement. Government forcibly evicted Tamils from their homes.

Recap (in groups)

List two reasons why people in multi-ethnic societies disagree.

List the four policies that resulted in the conflict in Sri Lanka?

How far do you think the British colonial government was responsible for the conflict in Sri Lanka?

Consequences of Sri Lankan conflict

Political consequence Armed conflict

Tamils felt discriminated Tried various ways to voice their unhappiness

1940s –made peaceful demands to be treated fairly 1950s –Tamil areas into a federation, within Sri Lanka 1976 – Demands still not met. Then asked for separate

state. State to be called Tamil Eelam. Sri Lankan govt. rejected Tamil Eelam proposal Politically active Tamils formed Liberation Tigers of Tamil

Eelam (LTTE)

Consequences of Sri Lankan Conflict

Political Consequence Violence against the state:

LTTE attacked Sinhalese and also anyone (incl. Tamils who supported the government).

Listed as a terrorist organization internationally Sinhalese also carried out violence:

Mob attacks on Tamils and riots of July 1983

20 year conflict resulted in over 60,000 lives lost

Political consequence Foreign intervention

Armed conflict attracted attention of another country – India.

Tried to act as mediator (neutral party which tries to bring conflicting parties together for discussion)

Mediation not successful

Sent aid to Tamil regions via warships & aircraft

Forced Sri Lanka to sign peace accord with India

Indian peacekeeping force in Sri Lanka to get LTTE to disarm. Clashed with them. Forced to leave Sri Lanka.


Economic consequence

Unemployment.

The Sri Lankan riots in July 1983 led to massive unemployment.

Workers reluctant to go to work because of fear of being attacked or becoming a victim of violence.

Some jobless workers – participated in vandalism


Economic Consequence Loss of investments from other countries:

Foreign investments needed for country to develop.

When country is unstable – investors will turn away

because they lack confidence.

Fear that they will lose their investments


Economic consequence Fall in the numbers of tourists

Tourism = a major source of revenue for Sri Lanka Many attractive places to visit and pleasant

surroundings

Tourist arrivals steadily decreased since 1983.

Affected the economy as tourism related industries

(travel agents, transport or tour operators) all affected with falling demand for these services.


Social Consequence

Sri Lankan Tamils driven out of their homeland:

1983 thousands of Tamils fled to Tamil Nadu

Sri Lankan Army (SLA) declared High Security Zones (HSZs). Access was restricted. People could not move freely between zones or regions.

Thousands of Tamils forced to flee from Jaffna as SLA took on the LTTE there.

Many displaced persons living in refugee camps with poor health standards and public hygiene.


Peace for our times

Sri Lanka finally defeated the LTTE in a major military operation in May 2009.

But are the seeds of conflict still present? Share your thoughts about this.


Education

Sec3 chapter4 conflict in multi-ethnic societies (sri lanka)_slideshare