Civil War Returns to Sri Lanka

For more than 20 years, the Tamil Tigers have fought to establish their own state in Sri Lanka. Representing about 18 percent of the small island’s population, the largely Hindu group suffered persecution for years before signing a treaty with the Sri Lankan government in 2002. Not long after the December 2004 tsunami, brutal ethnic violence broke out with assassinations and bombings of schools and canals that cut water supplies for entire communities. The tsunami and escalating violence have stalled the Sri Lankan economy, which relies on manufacturing and tourism. Major world powers speak out against the violence, but distracted by fighting in the Middle East, take no action. With the Tamil Tigers labeled as a terrorist group by the EU in May 2006, the only international groups left in the nation are aid groups and non-government organizations who assist the growing refugee population, estimated at more than 50,000. – YaleGlobal