Fitri's mindmap: Consequences of the Sinhalese-Tamil conflict

1. Foreign Intervention

2. The Sinhalese-Tamil conflict attracted the attention of India who decided to mediate between the government and the Tamil Tigers following the 1983 riots. Unfortunately, the dialogue failed because both parties could not come to an agreement. In 1987, the Indian government wanted to help the Tamils in India and sent ships to Jaffna with humanitarian aid. The ships were turned back by the Sri Lankan Navy. However, the next day, Indian Air Force planes violated Sri Lankan air-space and dropped the humanitarian aid into Jaffna.India also pressured Sri Lanka to sign a peace accord. In 1987, when the Tamil Tigers failed to surrender their weapons, the Indian troops took control of them by force. Clashes broke out between the Indian peacekeeping troops and the Tamil Tigers until the Indian forces were withdrawn in 1990.

3. Fall in the Number of Tourists

4. The Sri Lankan conflict has scared off many tourists who do not dare to travel to Sri Lanka. As tourism is one of Sri Lanka’s major income earners, there has been a fall in tourism earnings and a loss of tourism-related jobs. With a loss of foreign investment and a drop in tourist earnings, Sri Lanka cannot get the funds needed to re-build infrastructure or to develop attractive amenities and facilities causing the country to be in a state of continuous financial hardship.

5. Armed Conflict

6. }One consequence of the Sinhalese-Tamil conflict has been an armed conflict between the LTTE (Tamil Tigers) and Sinhalese government forces. } }When the Tamils’ peaceful demands were rejected, a group of youths formed the LTTE (Tamil Tigers) who believed that violence was the only way to demand and obtain rights for the Tamils. } }Riots which occurred in the 1980s between the Tamils and the Sinhalese sparked off a long armed conflict between the Sinhalese government forces and the LTTE (Tamil Tigers).

7. Unemployment

8. The Sri Lankan riots of 1983 lead to massive unemployment. Both Tamils and Sinhalese lost their jobs. Many of the jobless Sinhalese also took part in vandalising, looting and burning their places of work. With unemployment and the subsequent destruction of places of work would result in suffering and economic hardship for Sri Lanka and its citizens.