Wednesday, 4 July 2007
Timeline:Sri Lanka conflict
Conflict in Sri LankaThe conflict between Sri Lanka's government and ethnic Tamil rebels has a chequered history spanning decades. Look at key dates in a dispute that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
1948 - 1972 Early turning point
Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, gains full independence in 1948 and over the next decade the socialist government adopts a number of policies that favour the Sinhalese.
In 1956 Sinhalese is adopted as the official national language, while both English and Tamil are dropped. Many view this as a turning point in the history of the island. The move sparks protests by the Tamil community, which begins to press for greater autonomy in the Tamil-majority north and east.
Formation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
Tamil grievances are further exacerbated in 1972 - the year in which the island becomes a republic and is renamed Sri Lanka. The new constitution makes Buddhism the primary religion (the Tamils are Hindus, however, religion is not thought to be behind the hostilities) and there is a reduction in university places for Tamils. Separatist groups begin to form - the biggest of which is the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, formed in 1972. The country starts its slide towards civil war.
1983 Black July
Civil war breaks out in 1983, with the Tamil areas coming under the control of separatist militias. In July 1983 (Black July), the LTTE ambushes an army patrol in Jaffna, killing 13 soldiers. This sparks anti-Tamil riots, in which an estimated 600 people die. From 1983 onwards the conflict between the Sinhalese majority of the south and the northern Tamil minority dominates Sri Lankan politics.
1987 - 1990 India intervenes
Sri Lanka accepts India's offer to send troops into the north of the country to disarm the rebels and pave the way for political reforms. The LTTE puts up a vigorous resistance against the Indian forces, killing an estimated 1,200 Indian soldiers. By 1990 Indian troops have withdrawn from the country, leaving the LTTE in control of large areas of northern Sri Lanka.
1994 Peace talks
Prospects for a peace accord between the government and the Tamil Tigers brighten considerably with the election of a new president, Chandrika Kumaratunga, who comes to power pledging to end the war and open peace talks with the LTTE. A ceasefire ensues, and hopes are high of a final settlement in the civil war. However, the truce breaks down after several months.
1995 Casualties mount
Peace talks collapse and the Tamil Tigers carry out a series of bomb attacks. The army launches a major offensive, and by the end of the year 500 soldiers and 2,000 Tamil Tigers have been killed. 1996 Violence rages
In January, the Tamil Tigers ram a truck loaded with explosives into a central bank in the capital, Colombo, killing 91 people. In July, the Tigers overrun an army camp in the northeastern town of Mullativu, killing 1,200 soldiers. In the same year, the Tigers also bomb a train near Colombo, killing 70 passengers. A state of emergency is extended across the country.
1997 US labels LTTE terrorists
On October 8, the United States declares the LTTE a foreign terrorist organisation. A week later the LTTE attacks the World Trade Centre in central Colombo with a truck bomb, leaving 17 dead and 100 injured, including dozens of foreign tourists.
1999 Road to ceasefire
President Chandrika Kumaratunga invites Norway to help bring the Tamil Tigers to the peace table.
2001 More countries outlaw LTTE
Britain outlaws LTTE as a terrorist organisation, a move which is followed swiftly by Canada and Australia. Later in the year, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe wins the election and revives the peace bid.
2002 Ceasefire agreement
On February 23, 2002, the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger rebels enter a ceasefire agreement, paving the way for talks to end the long-running conflict. The peace initiative is sponsored by Norway. In September, the government lifts a ban on the Tamil Tigers, and the first round of talks begins in Thailand. Both sides exchange prisoners of war for the first time and the rebels drop their demand for separate state.
But by April of 2003, the Tigers have suspended participation in the peace talks, saying they are being marginalised.
2004 Tsunami brings temporary unity
On December 26, 2004, a tsunami, generated by a powerful undersea earthquake off the Indonesian coast, slams into 11 countries bordering the Indian Ocean, including Sri Lanka. More than 30,000 people are killed in Sri Lanka alone, while hundreds of thousands are forced from their homes. The government declares a national disaster. In June of the following year, a deal is reached with Tamil Tiger rebels to share tsunami aid among ethnic Sinhalas, Tamils and Muslims. The Marxist party pulls out of the ruling coalition in protest.
2005 Surge in violence
Relations between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the government rapidly deteriorate with the election in November of President Mahinda Rajapakse, with the backing of hardliners opposed to any power-sharing deal with the rebels.
Nearly 1,000 people die in a surge of violence that follows over the next few months.
2006 EU outlaws LTTE
In May the European Union outlaws the Tamil Tigers as a terrorist organisation, leading the rebels to demand that the EU components of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) withdraw from the country. Denmark, Finland and Sweden later announce they will pull out by September 1, leaving only non-EU nations, Iceland and Norway, as part of the monitoring team.
Fears of a return to full-scale warPeace talks in Geneva, Switzerland in October end in failure.
More than 3,000 troops, civilians and rebel fighters are killed in a spree of ambushes, suicide bombings, air raids, naval clashes and land battles during 2006.
Both the Tigers and military accuse eachother of violating the 2002 ceasefire.
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