The current (2005) Sri Lankan Conflict.

Essay by coconut_bananaHigh School, 11th gradeA-, September 2005

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Legal Assessment Task: The Sri Lankan Conflict.

Location and Parties Involved in the Dispute.

The Sri Lankan self-determination dispute is located in the country Sri Lanka, situated on the latitude 7 00N and longitude 81 00E. Sri Lanka is at the foot of the Asian continent, measures 65,610 sq km and comprises of two main ethnic groups, the Sinhalese majority (76%) and the Tamil minority (18%). These groups have long shared the island, which was once separated into two sovereign States. When Sri Lanka fell under foreign domination the British merged the two nations in 1815 and when the country received independence in 1948 a Sinhalese government was set up to govern over the whole. This government discriminates against the Tamil minority and denies the Tamil people the right to a separate State and self-determination. The conflict is therefore between the Sinhalese government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist terrorist group who fight for the independence of the Tamil people from Sinhalese rule, and for a separate sovereign state in the North-East of the island.

Despite the conflict's geographical borders, the self-determination dispute has escalated to a global level with the involvement of nations such as India, UK and the USA. These nations have forged strong ties with Sri Lanka in the past. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights has also brought the conflict to light, where 68 Non-Government Organisations have recognised the Tamils claims of mistreatment.

Legal and Social Issues involved with the Dispute.

Both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Political Rights, hold common 'Article One', which identifies the right to self determination. The Tamil people base their claim to this right as well as to land title (which closely stems from this...