Posted on 08/20/2006 8:01:28 AM PDT by Valin
Sri Lanka's two decade civil war Aug 20 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's government and Tamil Tiger rebels have now been locked for three weeks in the first ground fighting since a 2002 ceasefire.
Below are some key dates in the island's two decade civil war, which has killed more than 65,000 people.
1948 - Ceylon gains independence from Britain, country is later renamed Sri Lanka.
1956 - Government makes majority language Sinhala the language of state. Minority Tamils say they feel marginalised.
1976 - As some Tamils take up arms against the state, militant Velupillai Prabhakaran forms the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
1983 - A Tiger attack in north kills several soldiers, triggering vast anti-Tamil riots in capital Colombo. Hundreds die, thousands flee. Start of what Tigers call "First Eelam War".
1987 - Having earlier armed Tigers, India sends troops to enforce truce. Tigers renege on pact, refuse to disarm and begin three years of fighting that kills 1,000 Indian soldiers. India withdraws, leaving LTTE in control of northern city of Jaffna.
1990 - Talks fail, Tigers over-run police stations in east. "Second Eelam War" begins.
1991 - Suspected Tiger suicide bomber kills former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The next year, Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa killed in suicide blast.
1995 - President Chandrika Kumaratunga agrees truce with rebels. "Eelam War 3" begins when rebels sink naval craft. Tigers lose Jaffna to government forces.
1995-2001 - War rages across north and east. Suicide attack on Central Bank in Colombo kills around 100, President Kumaratunga wounded in another attack as bombs become frequent.
2001 - Tiger attack on main international airport destroys half Sri Lankan Airlines fleet. Economic growth ceases. Sept 11, 2001 attacks raise Tiger worries of U.S. action against them as part of wider "war on terror".
2002 - After Norwegian mediation, two sides sign ceasefire
2003 - Tigers pull out of talks, ceasefire holds
2004 - Eastern Tiger commander Karuna Amman breaks with LTTE. Tiger offensive regains control of east. Tigers say Karuna begins operating with government backing. Tsunami slams into north and east coast
2005 - Courts block post-tsunami aid sharing deal with Tigers. Suspected Tiger assassin kills foreign minister. Rebel election boycott helps bring in perceived hardline anti-Tiger President Mahinda Rajapakse. Attacks on military rise in north and east raising fears of return to war.
2006 - After string of attacks in January, both sides agree to meet for talks in Geneva. Diplomats say neither side implements pledges and violence soars again in April. Naval battles, air strikes, ambushes and bomb blasts become more common as many fear they are witnessing start of "Eelam War 4". Ground fighting starts after a dispute over a rebel-held water supply in the northeast, then spills over onto Jaffna peninsula.
Why the interest in the Arab Times? Sri Lanka is not a predominately Muslim country.
Are either of these guys Muzzies?
This may answer your question
Tamil Tigers 'kill 100 refugees'
Daily Telegraph, ^ | 8/5/06
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678293/posts
TAMIL Tiger rebels blocked Muslim civilians fleeing fighting in Sri Lanka's north-east and killed at least 100 of them, the defence ministry said in a statement today.
The victims were shot dead as they tried to escape fighting in the Muslim town of Muttur last night, the ministry said. "While displaced families were fleeing Muttur seeking safety, the Tigers blocked them at Pachchanoor area and killed over 100, including women, youth and children during the night of Friday," the ministry said.
It said the Tigers had targeted the civilians because they had been providing food to the security forces.
"These civilians had supported the security forces in providing fish, vegetables and other home grown products before the conflict began," the ministry said.
"The Tigers believed the youth in and around Muttur were feeding the security forces with information of Tiger movements and deployments," the ministry added.
The latest civilian losses pushed to 426 the official toll for the number of people killed in Sri Lanka's latest round of bloodshed, which began 11 days ago.
10% of Sri Lankans are Muslims, mostly Tamils. They're in a very odd position of being the odd man out. The government doesn't like Tamils, but the Hindu and Christian Tamils aren't in full solidarity with the Muslim ones. This is the one war on the planet where the Muslims actually want to sit it out.
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