Remembering Black July of 1983. In July 1983, a pogrom and riot broke out in the Island of Sri Lanka where 100s if not thousands of Tamils and Tamil Speaking Muslims were killed in those well orchestrated riots. Something similar to what happened to the Muslims in Bhivandi of Maharashtra and later in the in Godhra. Extract from WikiPedia on Black July :- Black July is the common name used to refer to the anti-Tamil pogrom and riots in Sri Lanka during July 1983. The riots began as a response to a deadly ambush on 23 July 1983 by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a Tamil militant group, that killed 13 Sri Lanka Army soldiers. Beginning in the capital Colombo on the night of 24 July 1983, the riots spread to other parts of the country. Over seven days mobs of mainly Sinhalese attacked Tamil targets, burning, looting and killing. Estimates of the death toll range between 400 and 3,000. 8,000 homes and 5,000 shops were destroyed. 150,000 people were made homeless.The economic cost of the riots was $300 million. A wave of Sri Lankan Tamils fled to other countries in the ensuing years and many thousands of Tamils youths joined the militant groups. Black July is generally seen as the start of full-scale Sri Lankan Civil War between the Tamil militants and the government of Sri Lanka. July has become a time of remembrance for the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora community around the world.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 23:21:42 +0000
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