The Contenders:

The Government of Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka was a common wealth province of Great Britain until 1948. Since its independence, the country has gone through several political makeovers. The current structure of the government of Sri Lanka is a presidential representative democratic republic, complete with a parliament. The bulk of the fighting, however, is done with the military branch of the government rather than parliament or and of the other branches.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) – One of the major groups of many rebel forces formed by the youth of Sri Lanka. The LTTE is interested in forming a separate state in the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka. At this point, the group has been deemed a terrorist organization by both Sri Lanka and much of the developed world (ie: USA, Canada, European Union, etc.).

While Sri Lanka is best known for the horrible devastation that was the Tsunami, which occurred in December of 2004, the civil conflict that continues may be a bigger threat to the country than the well known natural disaster.

The Facts:

• Sri Lanka is a small island country, located off of the southeast corner of India.
• The country has stood divided as a result of a civil war since 1983.
• Approximately 130,000 people have become refugees as a result of the violence.
• Over 68,000 lives have been lost in the Sri Lankan conflict.
• A cease fire was signed in 2001, but has not been upheld by either side.
• India got involved in the conflict back in the 1980’s, and has supported both sides in different ways until 1987, when they tried to oversee a ceasefire.
• After a huge manpower and monetary loss, and 32 months, the Indian government withdrew their peace keeping troops, and has remained an outside observer of the conflict ever since.
• The devastating aftermath of the Tsunami in Sri Lanka, in 2004 caught the world’s attention about the impoverished of Sri Lanka, but not about the ongoing conflict.
• Violence and increased guerilla activity resumed after the changing of Sri Lanka’s political administration in 2005.
• On March 19, 2007, the Sri Lankan air force bombed a naval base belonging to the “Sea Tigers, a branch of the LTTE’s military. Reports of the casualties and damages are still being gathered.
• Land mines and bombs set by both sides, in the interest of harming the opponent, are causing major complications in the relocation of refugees.

The Beef:

The conflict between the LTTE and the official government of Sri Lanka can almost be traced back to racial roots. The disagreements tend to be about language, territory, and equal treatment for the Tamil community. The country’s majority is Sinhalese, making the Tamil community the minority. The LTTE have alleged discrimination and racism on behalf of the government and Sinhalese, and list those as the platform for their position. The government is attempting to regain order and control of the country, and supports their defense and offensive counter attacks against the LTTE with the aforementioned reasoning. To date, the two have come close to resolution, but have not been able to settle on a solution that both sides feel is just.