The history of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka(Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, hereinafter “Sri Lanka”), located in the Indian Ocean, began with migration. In Sri Lanka, which is composed of the descendants of various migrants such as Sinhalese, Tamils, Moors, Veddas, and Burghers, political conflict within the country became a problem after gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1948.

The main cause was the political struggle between two ethnic groups with different languages (Sinhala and Tamil). The Sinhalese, who make up the majority of the population, became the core of the government and pursued integration policies such as making Sinhala the sole official language and shaping the state around Buddhism, thereby restricting the rights of Tamils, many of whom are Hindus and speak Tamil. Furthermore, land policies that prioritized Sinhalese residents were introduced.

Backlash against such policies developed into a Tamil independence movement in the 1970s. In 1981, the arson attack on the Jaffna Public Library became a flashpoint, and in 1983, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam(Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam, hereinafter “LTTE“) killed 13 government soldiers in Jaffna, among other incidents, and the clashes expanded nationwide.

Graph: Created based on data from the Sri Lanka Department of Census and Statistics (Department of Census and Statistics)

LTTE united most Tamil anti-government forces and expanded its influence, particularly in the north and east where the Tamil population ratio is high. Pursuing an extreme line that included suicide bombings, the LTTE assassinated then-President Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1993. President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who took office the following year, sought peaceful negotiations with the LTTE, and in 2002, a ceasefire agreement was concluded through the mediation of the Norwegian government.

In 2005, hardliner Mahinda Rajapaksa became president, and the conflict reignited in 2006. The government then mobilized all military power to corner the LTTE by force and dismantled it. The long-running Sri Lankan conflict effectively ended in 2009 with the defeat of the LTTE.

Explanatory map: Created based on Territory Controlled by the LTTE

It is estimated that approximately 80,000 to 100,000 people were killed over the 26-year conflict. According to a 2011 UN report, up to 40,000 Tamils lost their lives in operations such as government airstrikes.

Because the conflict ended in a unilateral victory for the government, it left concerns about the subsequent domestic situation in Sri Lanka. The government adopted a hostile stance not only toward former LTTE fighters but also toward ordinary Tamil civilians, detaining many Tamils and imposing strict restrictions on movement into and out of internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. Nationwide, it also severely curtailed freedom of expression and continued repression. In addition, it abused the “Prevention of Terrorism Act,” repeatedly conducting surveillance and arbitrary arrests.

Menik Farm: an IDP camp in Sri Lanka with dire conditions (2009)
Caption: DFID-funded, UNHCR emergency shelter tents, inside the Menik Farm camp for displaced people, near Vavuniya, Sri Lanka, 16 June 2009.
Photo by Department for International Development/Russell Watkins

Under these circumstances, the UN Secretary-General at the time visited Sri Lanka in person and reached an agreement with the Sri Lankan government to rebuild war-ravaged regions and society in a sound manner and to ease interethnic conflicts that had been the cause of the war. Under that agreement, the Rajapaksa administration pledged humanitarian assistance and the early return of approximately 300,000 IDPs.

UN Secretary-General visiting Sri Lanka (2009)
Caption: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks to children at the Manik Farm camp for the Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs) during a visit there to see first hand the humanitarian situation. 23/May/2009. Vavuniya, Sri Lanka.
Photo by UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

However, it is hard to say that President Rajapaksa’s pledge to actively support the resettlement of IDPs was faithfully implemented. Poor conditions and repression in the camps continued thereafter. Despite the end of the conflict, the fundamental problems were not resolved.

Although Sri Lanka had endured a long war and could not be said to be at “peace” even after its conclusion, a new development began with the presidential election in January 2015. In the presidential election—a contest between incumbent President Rajapaksa, seeking a third term, and opposition coalition candidate Maithripala Sirisena—Rajapaksa received about 47.8%, while Sirisena of the opposition coalition received about 51.3%, resulting in Sirisena’s victory. This was an unexpected outcome.

Sirisena, though also Sinhalese like former President Rajapaksa, won votes from minorities including Tamils. It can be said that crossing the barriers of ethnicity and religion, the Sri Lankan people reacted against the militaristic and authoritarian tendencies seen under the Rajapaksa administration and policies that favored a wealthy few, which led to Sirisena’s victory.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena (2015)
Caption: Maithripala Sirisena, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, addresses the general debate of the General Assembly’s seventieth session.
Photo by UN Photo/Cia Pak

The new administration subsequently brought major changes to Sri Lankan society. One such change was a significant relaxation of the long-criticized restrictions on freedom of expression under the previous administration, earning high marks from human rights organizations (Human Rights Watch). Specifically, attacks on journalists and interference with their activities declined sharply, and access restrictions on websites were lifted.

In particular, under the Sirisena administration, policies for IDPs also made significant progress. As of January 2016, President Sirisena announced that residential land would be provided so that approximately 100,000 Tamils who were still living in camps about 6 years after the end of the conflict could be resettled. The President visited the camps in person and expressed a strong intention to resolve “this issue.” Such remarks by the President were positively received by the opposition Tamil National Alliance (TNA).

Reinvestigations also began into cases tried under the “Prevention of Terrorism Act,” which the government had used since the conflict period to suppress anti-government forces. Furthermore, a review of the “Prevention of Terrorism Act” itself was announced. These moves by the new administration mark a departure from the previous government and have drawn global attention.

However, while a new “Counter-Terrorism draft law” to replace the “Prevention of Terrorism Act” was made public in October 2016, it has been criticized for enabling even greater human rights violations by the government rather than addressing the problems pointed out in the former law.

Although progress has been seen on difficult issues, problems remain. Nevertheless, the change of government in 2015 has clearly opened a new path, with policies to build “peace” actively advanced. Further efforts are needed to ensure that human rights and social diversity are protected in Sri Lanka.

Writer: Yerim Lee
Graphics: Yerim Lee, Taihei Toda