What Is The Difference Between Ethnic Conflict And Sinhalese

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Sri Lanka: Ethnic Conflict Tamils vs. Sinhalese
What is the conflict and who are the parties involved?
During the British colonial rule, the Tamils, who were the ethnic minority, were favored and given better positions in the government. However, after the country’s independence in 1948 the Sinhalese began to dominate the government, military, and all internal and external affairs. They removed the Tamils from the government positions they once occupied and made their religion (Buddhism) and language(Sinhala) the official language and religion of Sri Lanka. This ethnic tension between the Sinhalese and the Tamils led the Tamils to form a rebel group known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and go to war with the government in …show more content…

The conflict arose from ethnic tensions between the Sinhalese and the Tamils. The civil war was between these two parties, thus making this and ethnic conflict. However, it is much more than that. The Sinhalese are primarily Buddhists while the Tamils are primarily Hindus, so when the Sinhalese made Buddhism the sole religion of Sri Lanka, the Tamils felt like they were discriminated against and wanted to have their own territory in which they could govern themselves. The ethnic conflict was between the two ethnicities and religious groups. And since the Tamils were after territory to create their own state, it was a territorial conflict as …show more content…

However, when Mahinda Rajapaksa was president, so it was refused by his administration. The UN wrote a report on the conflict in which it showed its concerns and found “horrific level of violations and abuses.” It goes on to describe the wrongs committed by both sides of the conflict, “that are among the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole”. It then addresses what the new government needs to do to put the country on a path to stability. A panel, known as the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons also made a statement on the justice system saying, “There has been, and continues to be, a lack of political and institutional will to investigate and inquire into the cases before the commission.” At the end of the conflict, Sirisena, the new leader after winning the election against the former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa last year, promised to make a new constitution to improve democracy and the right of the people. Recently the government has come out with a new constitution. According to the document presented to parliament, “the government intends to strengthen democratic rights, promote national reconciliation and establish a political culture that respects the rule of law. The new constitution will also guarantee fundamental rights and freedoms

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