It's been 38 years yet we are still mourning and still fighting for equality. Though July 1983 riot has been the most talked about, riots against Tamils have been a constant event in Sri Lanka since the 1950s.
1956 - 1956 anti-Tamil pogrom, Eastern Province - The first Sinhalese-Tamil riots in Ceylon. The majority of victims were Tamils in Gal Oya, a new settlement in the Eastern Province. The total number of deaths is reportedly 150.
1958 - 1958 anti-Tamil pogrom, the 1958 ethnic pogrom, and riots are popularly known also as the 58 riots a watershed event in the racial relationship of the various ethnic communities of Sri Lanka. The total number of deaths is estimated to be 300, mostly Tamils.
1977 - 1977 anti-Tamil pogrom, Sri Lanka - Anti-Tamil pogrom starting on 12 August 1977, less than a month after the United National Party came to power in 1977. Over 300 Tamils were killed during these riots.
S.P. Amarasingam on the 1977 Anti-Tamil Pogrom
1981 - Burning of Jaffna library, Jaffna, Northern Province - The destruction of the Jaffna Public Library, with the loss of over 100,000 books, artifacts, and palm writings. Four Tamils were killed.
how the 1981 riots shaped my future
1983 - Black July anti-Tamil pogrom, Sri Lanka - pogrom committed against Tamils of where between 400 and 3,000 Tamil civilians were killed and many more made homeless and refugees. This was believed to be the origin of the Sri Lankan Civil War.
On 8 September 1998, a riot was unleashed on Plantation Tamils in Ratnapura where 200 organized Sinhalese goons with the support of local Sinhala politicians burnt down 800 houses.
brutal state-sponsored genocide lasting from July 23rd to July 30th. Armed with voter registration lists, Sinhalese mobs took at least 3,000 Tamils' lives, destroyed 5,000 shops, and displaced over 150,000 Tamils. At least 500 Tamil women were raped and many families were burned alive. It also prompted the first large exodus of Tamils: 500,000 fled the island, giving seed to a global Tamil diaspora
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Months Preceding Black July:
Violence from the state had been increasing in the months ahead of Black July. Tamils were being killed. Human rights activists, political activists & militants were being detained & tortured.
April 1983: Torture of the Gandhiyam Movement
Gandhiyam movement members, SA David, and Dr. Rajasundaram were arrested and tortured. This is a non-violent movement that predominately worked to support refugees by setting up farms and distributing food.
April 1983: 35 injuries were found on a Tamil detainee
A detainee at the Gurunagar army camp, Navaratnarajah, 28, of Kiliveddy, Trincomalee, was found to have 35 injuries. He was arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
May 18, 1983: Army Run Amok
LTTE asked to boycott local elections. This led to a shootout that killed 1 army. Later that day, the army went on a rampage, leaving Jaffna in flames. Sinhala soldiers burnt homes, shops, and vehicles while looting and robbing.
May to June 1983: Increasing Discrimination of Tamils
In the south of the island, Tamils were facing increasing discrimination, harassment, and violence, including at universities, hospitals, and government offices.
May 1983: Brutal Killing of Sabaratnam Palanivel
On May 30th, 1983, Sabaratnam from Valvettithurai was dragged into the town's army camp and was killed. As his relatives watched, a truck was driven over his dead body by a soldier, flattening his body.
May 1983: Tamil Killings in Army Custody
Meanwhile, verdicts of homicide were returned in two separate judicial inquiries into Tamil deaths in military custody. Kathirgamathamby Navaratnarajah and Ratnasingham Sriskandarajah were both killed in army custody.
June 1983: Armed Forces Attack Gandhiyam Farm
On June 1st, 2 Sri Lankan Air Force men were killed in a Tamil ambush in Vavuniya, military personnel went "berserk", burning buildings and attacking Tamils. Gandhiyam's offices and farm were also attacked.
June 1983:
On 03.06.1983 emergency regulations were gazetted which permitted the disposal of dead bodies by armed forces without a judicial inquest & post-mortem. Regulations came into effect soon after judicial inquiries found the army to have killed Tamil men in Jaffna.
June 1983: Intensifying Anti-Tamil Violence
Racist violence occurred all over the island. Dozens of Tamils died. In Trincomalee homes and businesses were burned. Bombs were thrown at Sampanthan’s house during curfew.
June 1983:
More Tamils were killed, incl. in Trinco, Jaffna, Negombo, Ratmalana & Kurunegala. Tamil businesses were attacked, incl. a garment factory in Kurunegala. Harassment of Tamil students @ universities continued. Under new regulations, no inquests were held
“Not a single day has passed since the 18th of May without attacks upon Tamils in some part it other of the country”.
— Tamil Times (London, UK; June 1983)
On July 1, 1983, the government banned the publication of Saturday Review & Suthanthiran, 2 main papers reporting & printing in Jaffna. Information beyond this point was largely reported in diaspora media, as strict censorship was imposed. Last issue before Black July.
On July 20th, days prior to the violence of #BlackJuly, the Sri Lankan government imposed local and foreign press censorship on all news related to national security, law, and order.
July 1983: Sexual Violence Against Tamils
Throughout July, violence increased further. On July 22, the army abducted three Tamil girls in Jaffna and took them to their camps. News spread that they were raped and one had killed herself.
July 1983:
Violence against Tamils spread across the country. The premeditated violence caused > 3,000 Tamil deaths mostly in Colombo & other Sinhala maj areas. Tamil economy was destroyed. Over 100 thousand were displaced w/ thousands fleeing abroad.
Black July carried all the hallmarks of genocide according to the legal definition provided by the UN. For Tamils, genocide recognition is important because Black July was neither the first nor last instance.
It is commonly believed that the horrific violence of Black July was confined to Colombo alone. This map shows many of the other towns and villages that suffered anti-Tamil violence during Black July.
The Welikada Prison Massacre
During Black July, 53 Tamil political prisoners were violently murdered by Sinhala prisoners under the supervision of Sinhala prison guards.
Amongst the dead, was TELO militants, Sellarasa “Kuttimani” Yogachandiran, Ganeshanathan Jeganathan, and N. Thangathurai. Kuttimani and Jeganthan are famously remembered for asking for their eyes to be grafted onto the Tamils who would see the birth of Tamil Eelam.
July to August 1983: The Outside World’s Response
As the news of the pogroms reached the outside world, it became apparent that the violence occurred with the support of the state and the security forces and was planned “well in advance”.
Eyewitness accounts:
Survivors - Stories of Tamil Canadians who experienced the tragedy.
Sources: Sangam, 47roots, Tamilnet, Tamilnation, Blackjuly83, PEARLaction.
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