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Text File | 1994-05-02 | 9KB | 184 lines

<text> <title> Sri Lanka: History </title> <article> <hdr> Background Notes: Sri Lanka History </hdr> <body> The origins of the Sinhalese are shrouded in myth. Most believe that they came to Sri Lanka from North India during the 6th century B.C. Buddhism arrived from the subcontinent 300 years later and spread rapidly. Buddhism and a sophisticated system of irrigation the pillars of classical Sinhalese civilization (200 B.C.-1200 A.D.) that flourished in the north-central part of the island. Invasions from South India, combined with internecine strife, pushed Sinhalese kingdoms southward. This historical experience, preserved in legend, colors an abiding Sinhalese belief in the fragility of Sinhalese Buddhist culture. The island's contact with the outside world begun early. The Romans called the island Taprobane. Arab traders knew it as "Serendip," the root of the word "serendipity." The Portuguese, in search of cinnamon and other spices, seized coastal areas beginning in 105. Their most lasting contribution was Catholicism. The Dutch supplanted the Portuguese in 1658. Although the Dutch were ejected by the British in 1796, Dutch law remains an important part of Sri Lankan jurisprudence. In 1815, the British defeated the King of Kandy, last of the native rulers, and created the Crown Colony of Ceylon. They established a plantation economy based on tea, rubber, and coconuts. In 1931, the British granted Ceylon limited self-rule and universal franchise. On February 4, 1948, Ceylon became independent. Post-Independence Politics Post-1948 Sri Lankan politics have been strongly democratic Two major parties the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) have generally alternated rule. Leftist parties-the Trotskyite Lanka Sama Samaja (LSSP) and the pro-Moscow Communist Party (CP)-also have served in governments usually in coalition with the SLFP. Their importance, however, has diminished in recent years. A new leftist group, the United Socialist Alliance (USA) was formed in 1987 and comprises elements of the LSSP, CP, and Sri Lanka Mahajana Party (SLMP). A series of Tamil parties also have been a part of the political scene. In the last general election, held February 15, 1989, the old main-line Tamil parties, including the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), were decimated by newly legal Tamil parties that, until mid-1987 when the Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord was signed, had been militant groups. Although both the UNP and SLFP embrace democratic socialism, international neutrality, and encouragement of Sinhalese culture, there are differences between the two. On economic issues, the UNP has stressed the private sector and encouraged foreign investment; SLFP economic policy has been strongly socialist. Internationally, the UNP has generally looked to the West, while the SLFP has sought to strengthen Sri Lanka's ties with the Eastern bloc. While both the UNP and the SLFP find most of their support in the majority community, the SLFP emphasizes its Sinhalese Buddhist identify. The UNP ruled first from 1948-56 under three prime ministers-D.S. Senanayake, his son Dudley, and Sir John Kotelawala. The SLFP ruled from 1956-65, with a short hiatus in 1960, first under S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike and then, after his assassination in 1959, under his widow, Sirima. Dudley Senanayake and the UNP returned to power in 1965. In 1970, Mrs. Bandaranaike assumed the premiership. A year later, Sri Lanka was shaken by an insurrection by followers of the Maoist "Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna" (JVP, or "People's Liberation Front"). The SLFP government within weeks suppressed the revolt and declared a state of emergency that would last 6 years. In 1972 Mrs. Bandaranaike's government introduced a new constitution, which changed the country's name from Ceylon to Sri Lanka, declared it a republic, made protection of Buddhism a constitutional principle, and crated a weak president appointed by the prime minister. Its economic policies during this period were highly socialist and included the nationalization of large tea and rubber plantations. The UNP, under J.R. Jayewardene, returned to power in 1977. The Jayewardene government opened the economy and, in 1978, introduced a new constitution based on the French model. A key element was the creation of a strong executive president. Jayewardene was elected to the position by parliament in 1978 and by nationwide elections in 1982. By a 1982 referendum, the life of parliament was extended another 6 years. Culminating a year of provincial elections, presidential elections were held on December 19, 1988. In it R. Premadasa, prime minister in the Jayewardene government, won the presidency for the UNP by narrowly defeating Mrs. Bandaranaike. A USA candidate, Ossie Abeygoonesekera, was a distant third. The February 1989 elections resulted in the UN taking 125 of 225 seats under a new system of proportional representation. The SLFP won 67 seats. The majority of the rest of the seats went to several new Tamil parties. The USA won only 4 seats. Communal Crisis Sri Lankan electoral history since independence has been intertwined with growing communal confrontation. From independence, the Tamil minority has been uneasy with the country's unitary form of government, fearing that the Sinhalese majority would abuse Tamil rights. The 1956 election of the SLFP reinforced those fears when S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike capitalized on Sinhalese nationalism to sharply defeat the UNP. Declaring Sinhala the country's official language-felt by Tamils to be a denigration of their own tongue-was the first in a series of steps over following decades that appeared discriminatory to Tamils. The decades following 1956 saw the intermittent outbreak of communal violence and growing radicalization among Tamil groups. by the mid-1970s Tamil politicians were moving from support for federalism to a demand for a separate Tamil state-"Tamil Eelam"-in northern and eastern Sri Lanka. In the 1977 elections, the separatist TULF won all seats in Ceylon Tamil areas. Other groups-particularly the "Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam" (LTTE)-sought an independent state by force. In 1983, the death of 13 Sinhalese soldiers at the hands of Tamil militants unleashed the largest outburst of communal violence in the country's history. Hundreds of Tamils were killed in Colombo and elsewhere, tens of thousands were left homeless, and more than 100,000 fled to South India. Members of the TULF lost their seats in parliament when they refused to swear a loyalty oath. The north and east became the scene of bloodshed as security forces attempted to suppress the LTTE and other militant groups. Terrorist incidents occurred in Colombo and other cities. Each side in the conflict accused the other of violating human rights. The Sri Lankan Government accused India of supporting Tamil insurgents. By mid-1987, the situation had reached an impasse. In an attempt to break the deadlock, Sri Lanka brought India directly into its communal dispute. Under a July 29, 1987 accord signed by President Jayewardene and Indian Prime Minister Gandhi, the Sri Lankan government made a number of concessions to Tamil demands, which included devolution of power to the provinces,merger (subject to later referendum), and official status for the Tamil language. India agreed to establish order in the north and the east and cease assisting Tamil insurgents. A key element of the accord soon fell apart, Militant groups, though initially reluctant, had agreed to surrender their arms to the Indian Peackeeping Force (IPKF) brought to Sri Lanka under the accord. Within weeks, however, the LTTE declared its intent to continue its armed struggle for an independent Tamil Eelam. The 50,000-strong IPKF found itself engaged in a bloody police action against the LTTE. Two years after the accord, the IPKF remained act