“Only the Tamils suffered in the conflict in Sri Lanka.”
How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
Level 1
Describe the conflict in Sri Lanka with no reference to the suffering of the Tamils.
Award 1 mark for general description.
e.g. The conflict between the Tamil and Sinhalese occurred because the Tamil felt that they were treated unfairly and so decided to demand for the formation of a new state called Tamil Eelam.(1-2)
Level 2
Agree with the statement that the Tamil suffered and describe their suffering but with no link to the conflict AND/OR disagree with the statement and describe the suffering of the Sinhalese with no link to the conflict.
e.g. The Tamil suffered a lot as they lost their land, the Tamil civil servants lost their jobs if the could not speak Sinhalese and the youth could not go to the University for engineering and medical courses. They also lose their citizenship rights. So I agree that the Tamil suffered.
Or
The Sinhalese suffered as their economy declined. Economic growth did not take place as there was no foreign direct investment which lead to unemployment. Moreover the tourist find Sri Lanka less attractive so they do not come which lead to even more unemployment. In addition, many soldiers in the Sinhalese army and civilians died in the conflict. Thus I disagree with the statement as the Sinhalese suffered too. (3-4)
Level 3
Agree with the statement that the Tamil suffered and explain how the conflict brings about their suffering OR disagree with the statement and explain how the conflict lead to the suffering of the Sinhalese.
Award 5 marks for one explanation of the effect on either the Tamil or the Sinhalese, and an additional mark for further explanations, to a maximum of 7 marks.
Yes, I agree that the Tamil suffered during the conflict. Many Tamil lost their home land when the Sinhalese implemented the resettlement policy. The worst is when India intervene Sri Lanka. India’s intervention was a serious violation of Sri Lanka’s sovereignty. For example, in 1987, the Sri Lankan government was forced by India to sign a peace accord with the LTTE. When the peace accord was broken because the LTTE did not surrender their arms, the Indian government ordered 2000 more Indian troops to fight ethnic Tamil Tigers in the Jaffina Peninsula. This move resulted in even more violence in the country and prolonged the armed conflict. Indian troops and police commandos faced intense combat to the east and northwest of Jaffna town, a stronghold of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the main rebel group. When fighting broke out, the Tamil have to moved out of their home land and become refugees. This brought about suffering for the Tamil and so I agree with the statement that the Tamil suffered in the conflict in Sri Lanka.
OR
In the riots and armed struggles caused by the conflict, many people are killed. Many who are killed are likely to be the Sinhalese from the army or Sinhalese civilian who are killed by the bombs set by the Tamil Tiger. They are usually breadwinners of families, plunging them into poverty and starvation.
The ensuing riots and terrorism also resulted in the destruction of factories and businesses, effectively causing even more employment in the city of Colombo. This vicious cycle of poverty is made worse by the loss of investments from other countries as in times of instability, investors from other countries may not have the confidence to invest in the country. Foreign investment dropped from US$66 million in 1982 to US$39 million in 1983, and a further decline to US$22 million in 1986.
Tourism, one of Sri Lanka’s major income earners, was also seriously damaged by the violent internal conflict. Tourist arrivals steadily decreased after the July 1983 riots. This resulted in a loss of jobs and a fall in foreign exchange earnings. This in turn, affected the economy adversely. There were also lesser funds to develop amenities and facilities for the people, such as transport and housing. As most of these jobs belong to the Sinhalese, I can conclude that the conflict has caused more suffering to the Sinhalese. (5-7)
Level 4
Both elements of L3
Award 8 marks for one explanation each of both the suffering of the Tamil and the Singhalese. Award additional marks for further explanations, to a maximum of 10 marks. 8 - 10
Level 5
L4+ shows how both the suffering of the Tamil and the Sinhalese are interrelated/interdependent.
Award 11 marks for one explanation to show how the two group of people suffered from the conflict. Award additional marks for further explanations to a maximum of 13 marks.
In the conflict in Sri Lanka both the Tamil and Sinhalese suffered especially with the lost of life to the armed conflict. Both sides have men who were killed as soldiers, as guerillas and as innocent civilians. Both could not enjoy peaceful lives as long as the conflict remains. Therefore both the Tamils and Sinhalese suffered in this conflict.
11 - 13
Read the website entitled Sri Lankan families count cost of war .
After reading the article who do you think suffer more?
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1 comment:
Since 1983, the Tamils minority and the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka have been in tension. This was due to the Tamils being discriminated against through policies implemented by the Sri Lankan government which was mostly made up of the Sinhalese. The resentment built up and conflict which involved violence was inevitable. The acts of violence caused sufferings indiscriminately to both the Tamils and the Sinhalese.
I agree that the Tamils suffered a lot as thousands of Tamils were driven out of Sri Lanka to become refugees in India and thus lost their homes and jobs, thanks to the riots which forced the Sri Lankan Army to occupy the Tamil-dominated regions in the north and the east. They had to live in overcrowded conditions as refugees and were deprived of basic necessities. Here, the Tamils were the one who suffered.
However, the Tamils were not the only ones undergoing the pain. The riots between the two groups also caused economical and political instability leading to the loss of foreign investments which boosted the country's economic growth, as many foreign investors did not feel that it was safe to do so in the midst of the chaos. With this, many companies went bankrupt and many people lost their jobs as many offices and factories were being burnt and damaged as the result of the conflict. The number of tourists’ arrival also plunged drastically leaving the economy devastated. As a result, both the Tamils and the Sinhalese suffered.
The formation of a militant group by mostly the Tamil youths, i.e. the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), caused further destruction as they bombed and killed people indiscriminately. This did not only cause the loss of lives of the Tamils but also the Sinhalese, they were merely the victims of the violence.
The LTTE recently recruited many Tamil youths who were in poverty in small villages. According to the article ‘Sri Lankan families count cost of war’ in BBC news, they said that the war had been their way of life, the best career option, and that helped them live a more decent life, out of poverty. As most families had at least one person in the armed forces, many of the parents believed that their children had sacrificed their lives for the country and that was a pride. The war brought about large numbers of casualties which included both the Tamils and the Sinhalese. Here, both parties suffered mainly because of the acts of the Tamils themselves.
In conclusion, I do not agree that only the Tamils suffered in the conflict in Sri Lanka. Both groups, the Tamils and Sinhalese suffered from loss of lives, jobs, houses, sense of security. This was, however, the result of their own actions of discriminating against the minority and choosing to react in a violent way which brought them to experiencing the disastrous outcomes. Here, the soldiers, guerillas and innocent people of both groups were involved in the tragedy. Therefore, not only the Tamils but also the Sinhalese suffered in the conflict.
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