Student' Essay : Conflict in Multi-Ethnic Societies: Case Study of Sri Lanka

Conflict in Multi-Ethnic Societies: Case Study of Sri Lanka


a. To what extent is citizenship rights responsible for the conflict between Sinhalese and Tamils?

The Sinhalese and the Tamils have been having conflict in Sri Lanka. Most of the issues revolve around the discriminatory policies against the Tamils practiced by the Sri Lankan government which prefers Sinhalese, the majority.

One of such policy is the citizenship rights. In 1948, when Sri Lanka gained independence, only those born in Sri Lanka or whose forefathers were born there were given Sri Lankan citizenship. This caused many Indian Tamils to be stateless, although they have contributed significantly to Sri Lankan economy. They resent the government and this was one of the sparks that ignite the conflict between the Tamils and the Sinhalese. Since 2003, though, this issue had been resolved, making this an irrelevant cause for the present conflict.

Another policy is the ‘Sinhala Only’ language policy. Sinhala was to be used as the only language in government officer. Tamils who work in the government offices are to learn Sinhala in three years or face retrenchment. This upset many Tamil civil servants as it was very hard for them to learn Sinhala. This policy seems to discriminate Tamils and thus aggravate the resentment between the Tamils and the Sinhalese.

University admission criteria is another unfair policy practised by the Sri Lankan government. Since the 1970s, Tamil students have to score higher than Sinhalese students in order to enter the same course in the universities. This system does not agree with the principle of meritocracy and upsets Tamil students who found it difficult to get into universities. Many youths thus, seeing no future, decided to join LTTE, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, to fight for their rights and to gain an independent Tamil state from Sri Lanka. The fuelled resentment between youths makes the conflict much worse since it now affects the younger generation, making the conflict continues to the next generations.

In conclusion, although there are many factors responsible for the conflict between the Sinhalese and Tamils, I think university admission criteria is the one which is most responsible for it.

Citizenship rights might have started the conflict, but since 2003, the Tamils have received their citizenship. The ‘Sinhala Only’ language policy is also not the one most responsible for the conflict since Tamil has since been adopted as an official language in Tamil-dominated areas. It did add to the resentment between both sides, but not anymore.

Besides, after one generation, it is possible to have Sinhala-speaking Tamils. University admission criteria is the one that has not yet been resolved until now, and this creates uneducated Tamil youths. One might say they do not necessarily turn to violence, but one must also understand that it is not easy for uneducated people to express their opinions and thoughts.

Moreover, having small number of Tamils entering the university and having a small number of degree-holders, less Tamils can get into government jobs, making it even harder for them to fight for their rights peacefully.

Thus I think citizenship rights come after university admission criteria as a cause of conflict in Sri Lanka, but before the ‘Sinhala Only’ language policy.


Well done. L6 12/12 Can any one tell me why?

b. “The most serious consequence of the Sinhalese-Tamil conflict is the economic devastation of the country.” How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.

The conflict between the Sinhalese and the Tamils had brought devastation to the once modern country. Among those are political, economic and social consequences.

Economic consequences are unavoidable when a conflict strikes a country. In Sri Lanka’s case, the conflict had greatly reduced the number of tourists and caused great loss of foreign investments. Tourists do not dare to go to Sri Lanka since it is unsafe with LTTE’s attacking every part of the country. Foreign businessmen also do not dare to invest in Sri Lanka since their factories could be destroyed in a terrorist attack in the country anytime. The attacks and riots destroying factories and industries also cause unemployment. All these brought economic devastation to the country, leaving the whole Sri Lanka to suffer in poverty.

There are also social consequences brought about by this conflict. Tamils, fearing conflict and discrimination, are forced out of their homeland to somewhere else, for example India, to migrate for safety. The conflict has also left a scar between the Sinhalese and the Tamils. The hatred between them might stay for generations to come, creating a society divided by suspicion and distrust. Crime rates are also high since economic conditions are poor. Orphans and squatters are abundant due to terrorist bombings and economic problems. This shows how social consequences can further damage the country.

Political consequences are also a consequence of the conflict. There are armed conflict between Sinhalese and Tamils, causing high mortality rate in Sri Lanka. There had been numerous clashes between the Sinhalese and the Tamils, with Sri Lankan policemen and army not trying to remedy the situation but participate in attacks against Tamils. Armed conflict brought about not only deaths but also caused an increase in handicapped people, generated great loss of money and hinders development. Also, there is foreign intervention by India. India dropped supply at Jaffna for the Tamils and entered Sri Lankan airspace illegally by doing so. Political consequences suffered by Sri Lanka were heavy.

In conclusion, I disagree that economical consequences are the most serious consequence of the Sinhalese-Tamil conflict in Sri Lanka. In my opinion, political consequence is the most serious consequence, followed by economic consequence and social consequence.

Political consequences include armed conflict which causes instability in the country, causing economic problems as people dare not to go to Sri Lanka for holiday or investments. Afterwards, since there are economic problems, came social problems that arose mostly due to poverty and instability and the unsafeness of the region. Political consequence is the underlying cause of the other two consequences and thus I think s the most serious one.

Economic consequences follow behind as the second-most serious consequences, as it brought heavy damages to the country. In turn, economic consequences brought about by political consequences caused social consequences.

Thus social consequences were the least serious out of the three consequences.
In addition to political consequences as the underlying cause of the other two consequences, if India did not withdraw its troops in 1990 and keep violating Sri Lanka’s airspace, it is not improbable that India would have taken over Sri Lanka, it being weakened by so much devastation brought about by the conflict – this would have been disastrous for Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.

Vanessa/4A/23