Understanding the Sri Lankan Civil War
The Sri Lankan Civil War is one of the longest running armed conflicts in Asia. Since 1983 the South Asian Island has been faced with a constant rendition of violence between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) whose members originate from the largest ethnic minority, the Tamils and the Sinhalese Community, which forms the majority of the population.
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There have been numerous attempts at conflict resolution through the years; however after short bouts of peace, there has always been a resumption of violence. Conflict resolution has been unsuccessful for a variety of reasons and unlike many other conflicts of this nature, there seems to have been no positive advances made.
European military conquest has left a devastating legacy; the Tamil Nation of Sri Lanka is similar to many other communities existing within multi-national states. With the dissolution of direct colonial rule, the majority gained power in these newly independent states.
Post-colonialism brought in an era of intense conflict, with minority groups demanding self-determination and freedom from repressive states. ‘Nation-building’ was used by leaders of post-colonial societies to justify their neglect of the needs of 
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. The new leaders believed it imperative for the success of the nation to overcome the problems associated with minority ethnic groups and build a united identity.
In 1948 Sri Lanka, then called Ceylon, achieved independence from the British Empire. During the build up to 1948 the majority had been given far greater power in comparison with the minority Tamil elite. Independence had been on the cards for some time. There were signs on many occasions that there may be trouble.
Britain did not sort out these problems before it left. It had secured naval and air bases in Ceylon and had ensured its commercial interests were protected. It was clear at this point that Ceylon would have issues creating a society where different identity groups would be able to co-exist together.
From the Sinhalese point of view they feel that their country is too small to be divided and if it were, Tamil Eelam would control more that 50% of the Island’s coast. They believe that they are the original people of Sri Lanka, the Tamils are seen as immigrants who could easily return to Tamil Nadu, an Indian State, which the Sinhalese people state is the original homeland of the Tamils.
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