Kent Ridge Secondary School Secondary 3 Social StudiesChapter 4: Conflict in Multi-ethnic Societies

Conflict in Sri Lanka Conflict in Northern IrelandHistory - Britain used to rule India and Sri Lanka

- Indian Tamils were brought to Sri Lanka by the British and were favored.

- This made the Sinhalese upset. - After Sri Lanka became independent, the government was

made up of Sinhalese. - The Sri Lankan government then introduced policies that

favored the Sinhalese.

- Ireland was initially made up of Irish Catholics. - Ireland was conquered by England, who brought in

Protestants. - Protestants were given the better lands, which were in

northern parts of Ireland. - Catholics were less privileged, and this continued even after

Ireland became part of English. - The Irish continued to fight, and managed to gain control of

the southern part of Ireland. - Ireland separated into Republic of Ireland and Northern

Ireland, where Northern Ireland still belongs to Britain. Who is involved?

- Sinhalese- Tamils- Indian government

- Protestants- Catholics- Britain

What is this conflict about?

- a racial conflict between two races in Sri Lanka - a religious conflict between two religious groups in Northern Ireland.

- Peaceful civil rights to outbreaks of violence: Irish Republican Army was formed and they used violence to achieve their aims of joining the Republic of Ireland.

What caused the conflict?(reasons for the conflict)

1. Citizenship rights

- Ceylon Citizenship Act of 1948, which granted citizenship only to those born in Sri Lanka or those whose ancestors were born in Sri Lanka.

- Many Indian Tamils were left stateless even though they have been contributing to the economy. They did not have basic rights such as education, jobs or housing.

- India tried to help these Indian Tamils but it was not very successful.

- 100 000 Indian Tamils were still stateless. - [LINK] This made the Indian Tamils upset and became a point

of conflict that caused tension between the two races.

2. ‘Sinhala only’ policy

1. Divided loyalties

- Catholics and Protestants saw themselves as two different groups. They were loyal to different countries.

- Catholics see themselves as Irish, and wants Northern Ireland to be part of the Republic of Ireland.

- Protestants see themselves as British citizens and want Northern Ireland to be part of the United Kingdom.

- [LINK] This lack of common identity prevented understanding and cooperation between the Catholics and Protestants. Their divided loyalties made them intolerant of each other. This became a point of conflict and tension.

2. Unequal allocation of housing

- English used to be the language of administration in the government service.

- After independence, the government decided that the language used will be Sinhalese – the Official Language Act

- Tamils in the government service had to learn Sinhalese within 3 years or be fired.

- [LINK] The Tamils were upset as they found it difficult to find jobs or be promoted.

- [EXAMPLE OF HOW THIS LED TO CONFLICT]o A peaceful demonstration against this Official

Language Act by the Tamils was disrupted by supporters of the Sinhala language.

o A riot started and it led to 100 over deaths.

3. University Admission criteria

- Government introduced a new university admission criteria that favored the Sinhalese.

- [EXAMPLE] Tamil students had to score higher markers than the Sinhalese students to enter the same courses in universities.

- A fixed number of places in the university was also reserved for the Sinhalese.

- Admission was no longer based only on results. It also depends on the race of the student.

- [LINK] Tamils felt discriminated by the government and was angry. This led to more unhappiness between the Sinhalese and Tamils.

4. Resettlement

- Resettlement policy of 1950: poor Sinhalese peasants were given land that belonged to Tamils.

- These lands were given to the Sinhalese to live on. Buddhist monks and the Sri Lanka Army, who were mostly Sinhalese, also came to occupy their land.

- [LINK] This made the Tamils angry because Sinhalese were occupying their land and living among them.

- Protestants are given priority for houses. - [EXAMPLE] Large Catholic families in need of housing have

to wait a long time to get a house. In some towns, more houses would be given to Protestants than the Catholics.

- [LINK] Catholics were frustrated as the shortage of houses meant that they would have to wait for many years before they could be given their own houses. This becomes another reason for unhappiness and conflict between the Catholics and Protestants.

3. Unequal employment opportunities

- competition between the Protestants and Catholics for jobs in Northern Ireland

- generally more difficult for Catholic to find jobs, especially government jobs

- Catholics feel that although they may be as academically qualified as the Protestants, they do not have the same opportunities in getting the jobs that they want.

- [LINK] Catholics feel discriminated and thus, angry and frustrated with the Protestants. This becomes another reason for the conflict.

4. Lack of voting rights

- before 1969, voting rights was an issue between the Catholics and Protestants

- at that time, only those who owned houses and businesses were entitled to vote. The bigger the companies, the more votes they have.

- Since most of the bigger companies were owned by the Protestants, they ended up with more votes.

- This system was unfair to the poorer Catholics. - [LINK] They felt unhappy about this voting system as they

tend to lose out. The local government formed would then be made of Protestants rather than Catholics.

- AFTER 1969, everyone is entitled to one vote, and voting districts were redrawn to ensure fairness. Voting rights no longer was an issue of conflict.

5. Lack of opportunities of social interaction

- education system:

o public schools were catered for Protestants only, and fully funded by the government. They learn British history and culture.

o [EXAMPLE] Protestant kids would sing British national anthem.

o private schools were for Catholics, and only partly funded by the government. They learn Irish history and culture.

o [EXAMPLE] They learn Irish sports such as hurling. o [LINK] Students do not mix around and they do not

interact. There is no chance for the children to understand each other better or develop friendship. This means that the misunderstandings and conflicts would continue to persist as the hatred is passed from generation to generation.

- separate residential areaso Catholics and Protestants have been living in

separate residential areas. o [LINK] this reduces the opportunity for social

interaction, thus allowing misunderstandings to continue. Conflicts would continue to exist.

What is the consequences? (impact of the conflict)

Political Consequences- Armed conflict

o Tamils tried to use peaceful means to voice their unhappiness but it did not work. Some turned to violence as the solution to their problems.

o Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a militant

Political consequences- political reform

o the civil rights march put pressure on Northern Ireland government, and the government decided to make sweeping reforms of local government in Northern Ireland.

group was formed. They used violence to achieve their goals. LTTE attacked ANYone who did not support the idea of having a separate Tamil state [this include Tamils who did not support this idea]

o Sinhalese responded with violence as well. o This became a war between the Tamil Tigers and the

governmento EXAMPLE: July 1963 riots in which 13 Sinhalese

soldiers were killed by Tamil Tigers. This led to riots. - Foreign intervention

o this conflict attracted the attention of India, who decided to intervene to help resolve the conflict.

o India tried to be the mediator between the government and the Tamil Tigers but this failed.

o India also sent food and medical supplies to the Sri Lankan Tamils.

o In July 1987, India forced the Sri Lankan government to sign a Peace Accord to ensure peace between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government.

o This was not successful and there were many clashes between the Indian peacekeeping troops and the Tamil Tigers.

o The Indian peacekeeping troops were later withdrawn.

Economic Consequences- Unemployment

o Massive unemployment due to the riotso Besides the Tamils, there were also Sinhalese who

took part in burning and looting their places of work. o Everyone was affected badly by the conflict.

- Loss of investments from other countries o Investors from other countries had no confidence to

invest in an unstable and violent country. o [LINK] This leads to a loss of investments, which

affects the economy badly. The country cannot progress and grow.

o The government decided to pass anti-discrimination measures.

Economic consequences- declining economy

o the economy declined because of the violence and conflicts that took place.

o Domestic and foreign investments decreased as investors were not confident in the country.

Social Consequences- social segregation

o Protestants and Catholics are now segregated socially in the way they live, work and play.

o This leads to a lack of understanding between the two groups, which allow the conflict to continue.

- Fall in number of tourists o Tourism was one of Sri Lanka’s major way of making

money. o With the violence and internal conflict, tourists were

afraid to visit Sri Lanka. o With the decrease in the number of tourists, there was

a loss of jobs and a fall in earnings. o [LINK] This affected the economy badly, which

prevents the country from progressing and growing.

Social Consequences- Sri Lankan Tamils were driven out of their homeland.

o Thousands of Tamils fled to Tamil Nadu in South India to avoid the violent. They become refugees.

o High Security Zones (HSZ) was set up by the Sri Lankan Army to keep the Tamil Tigers away.

o Many Tamils have to live in overcrowded conditions in refugee camps or with relatives or friends.