Black July and The Fallout Thereafter

The Rise of Tamil Separatism

On July 23, 1983, Tamil separatists, known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), escalated their militant activities in northern Sri Lanka, culminating in the killing of 13 Sinhalese soldiers who had reported for duty only a day earlier in Thirunelvely, Jaffna (Sabaratnam, 2001). The LTTE was engaged in a struggle for a separate Tamil state in the northern and eastern regions of the country. This day marked the beginning of Black July, a premeditated, ethnically-charged massacre targeting the Tamil population.

Black July and The Fallout Thereafter

Following the incident in Jaffna, Sri Lankan soldiers killed 51 civilians in the area (Wilson, 1988). The violence, which lasted several days, resulted in the deaths of approximately 3,000 Tamils. The death of the 13 soldiers was used as propaganda to justify the violence against Tamils. Tamil-owned shops were looted, people were stripped naked, and women were raped. In some horrific instances, Tamils were even burnt alive. In Colombo and provincial towns, soldiers stood by and even supplied gasoline to aid in setting the cities ablaze. Thousands of Tamils fled to Jaffna, believing that remaining in a Sinhalese area was unsafe for them. To identify Tamils in the area, many Sinhalese would show suspected Tamils objects and demand the Sinhala word for them (Dissanayake, 1990).

There was clear government complicity, with gangs operating at the behest of hardline ministers. On July 27, 1983, then-President J.R. Jayewardene made his first speech on the events, offering no sympathy to the minority and instead emphasizing Sinhala grievances (DeVotta, 2004). Further killings ensued. By the time the violence subsided on July 31, 1983, tens of thousands of Tamils had fled to the northern and eastern provinces or abroad. Black July served as a recruiting agent for Tamil militants. The incident ignited a civil war that lasted 26 years between the Sri Lankan military and the LTTE. The Sri Lankan military forces ultimately defeated the LTTE in May 2009. Approximately 700,000 Tamils were sent into exile during these 26 years, and at least 100,000 people were killed (Hoole, 2001).

The Lingering Ethnic Conflict

Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict remains unresolved. Abductions, arbitrary arrests, and sexual violence perpetrated by the military have not decreased. Military involvement in the North and East remains strong, with most military camps becoming permanent fixtures, and Sinhala colonization is on the rise (Uyangoda, 2011). The idea of a separate Tamil homeland—though illegal as a political platform—has gained strength, as many Tamils fled to areas of the island where they were the majority. Since 1983, many Tamils have not felt comfortable living in southern Sri Lanka, apart from the capital. Four years after the war victory, the government claims there are "no minorities" and everyone is equal, yet Sinhalese nationalist sentiment and rhetoric are on the rise (Schaffer, 2012). Nervousness persists, not only among Tamils but also among Muslims, who have witnessed their mosques attacked and their lifestyle under sustained assault from Sinhalese Buddhist nationalists, including monks. With the Tigers crushed in 2009 and unknown numbers of Tamil civilians killed as the war ended, hardline ministers now advocate reducing devolution for Tamil areas despite a constitutional clause meant to enhance it (Thiranagama, 2011).

References

• Dissanayake, W. (1990). Communication and Political Change in Sri Lanka. New Delhi: Sage Publications.
• DeVotta, N. (2004). Blowback: Linguistic Nationalism, Institutional Decay, and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka. Stanford University Press.
• Hoole, R. (2001). The Broken Palmyra: The Tamil Crisis in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Studies Institute.
• Sabaratnam, L. (2001). Ethnic Attachments in Sri Lanka: Social Change and Cultural Continuity. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Schaffer, T. C. (2012). India and the United States in the 21st Century: Reinventing Partnership. CSIS Press.
• Thiranagama, S. (2011). In My Mother's House: Civil War in Sri Lanka. University of Pennsylvania Press.
• Uyangoda, J. (2011). Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka: Changing Dynamics. East-West Center Washington.
• Wilson, A. J. (1988). The Break-Up of Sri Lanka: The Sinhalese-Tamil Conflict. University of Hawaii Press.