Written by: Human Rights Advocacy Council of Canadian Tamil Youth Alliance (CTYA)
BBC correspondent Frances Harrison cited that anywhere from 400 to 3000 Tamils were killed in the events that occurred in Black July 1983.
Lasting approximately a week, this was the anti-Tamil riot event that sparked the outbreak of the full scale armed struggle in Sri Lanka. To this day, not one individual has faced criminal proceedings for the killings and destruction of Tamils’ property.
An eye witness recounted “I saw at least in three places bus loads of military personnel standing by and watching an attack on a house. They had come in buses, armed and not doing anything”.
Commenting four days after the riots broke out on national television, President Jayawardene is quoted saying “Because of the violence by terrorists, the Sinhala people themselves have reacted” in a speech that attempts to justify the attacks on Tamils not condemn it.
Killed in Welikada high security prison on July 25 were 35 Tamil political prisoners and 18 more on July 27 by fellow Sinhala prisoners. Eye witnesses stated that the security guards handed the key to Sinhala prisoners and watched on as the Tamils were massacred.
Jayawardene, the President of Sri Lanka was quoted in the London Telegraph two weeks before the riots as saying “I am not worried about the opinion of the Tamil people…now we cannot think of them, not about their lives or their opinion…Really if I starve the Tamils out, the Sinhala people will be happy”. It is well known that these attacks were organized well in advance and many point to the government.
Under such dangerous circumstances in which the Tamil people were put in, more than 150 000 Tamils fled the country seeking refuge in countries such as Canada, U.K, India, and Australia.
Lists of voter registration which would only be attained through the government were carried by mobs identifying Tamil homes and businesses which were set on fire. Mobs went searching house to house identifying Tamils and further assaulting, torturing, and setting them on fire.
Youth were forced to flee their burning homes. They boarded cargo ships along with their families to the North part of Sri Lanka leaving behind their belongings, relatives, property, and employment. A turning point in Tamils’ history had occurred.
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