The Indian Tamil plantation workers in Sri Lanka: welfare and integration
Samarasinghe, S.W.R. de A.
Ethnic conflict in Buddhist Societies Sri Lanka, Thailand and Burma: 156-171
1988
Document Number: 384229
The chapter describes the historical evolution of the Indian Tamils in Sri Lanka and analyses the process of integration of the community into the larger Sri Lankan society while retaining their distinct cultural identity. The Indian Tamil immigrants came to Sri Lanka in response to the employment and business opportunities created by the development of the plantation economy under British rule. At Independence in 1948 there were about 800 000 (12% of the total population) Tamils in Sri Lanka, mostly working as unskilled labourers on the island's rapidly expanding plantations. The Indian Tamils as a group stand out from the rest of the Sri Lankan population due to their overwhelming concentration in the plantation economy and comparatively low social status. Around three-quarters of the Indian Tamil population live on estates, making up over 80% of the plantations' labour force. The situation of Tamils in Sri Lankan society is examined over the following periods: friction, conflict and uncertainties during 1930-64; and the trend from discrimination to integration after 1964. However, recent bouts of ethnic violence have interrupted the process of integration.