Separatist Movements and Civil Wars in the Tamils and Sri Lanka

Differing views often cause tension with an otherwise peaceful society. There are many reasons for this momentous sepapratist revolution in Sri Lanka. The Hindu Tamils are eager to form their own state. Since the tamils have a larger part in the government than the Sinhalese, the Buddhists are jealous and feel that their rights are not being protected. Ethinic conflicts between the majority sinhalese Buddhists and the minority Hindu tamils cause strife. The tamils feel …

…retaliation by the Tamils has left the once beautiful island, a war torn battle field. The British view of Buddhism as 'barbaric' led to the resurgence of a fervent Buddhist identity, after independence. This was one reason for the ethnic tension, though there are many other. Various factors, dating back as far as two thousand years, and as recently as a decade, have influenced the state of ethnic relations, even today.("Tiger and the shepherd" 1)