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Article: THE UNDERTONES OF THE SRI LANKAN CONFLICT.
- Article from:
- Contemporary Review
- Article date:
- October 1, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Contemporary Review Company Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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SRI LANKA, 'Ceylon' during the days of the British Raj, has been in the grips of a civil war where the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), acknowledged as one of the world's most ruthless guerrilla groups, has been battling with the Sinhalese-dominated government over the last 17 years in order to form a break-away state ('Tamil Eelam') comprising the island's northern and eastern provinces as homeland for its Tamil inhabitants. In this country, 65,610 sq km in size, the Sinhalese constitute about 74 per cent of the total population of 18 1/2 million and Tamils constitute about 2.6 per cent. The Sinhalese are mainly Buddhists while the Tamils are mostly Hindus. It is ...