Documents re the Tamil National Struggle in Sri Lanka

A COLLECTION OF HISTORIC DOCUMENTS

Compiled by our founding editor and published in Sangam.org’s original version at http://www.sangam.org/FB_HIST_DOCS/HistoricDocs_index.htm

Ceylon Citizenship Act No. 18 of 1948
The Act designed to deprive over a million Tamils of recent Indian origin… “2.(1) With effect from the appointed date, there shall be a status to be known as ‘the status of a citizen of Ceylon’ (2) A person shall be or become entitled to the status of a citizen of Ceylon in one of the following ways only…
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Official Language Act No. 33 of 1956
Despite earlier promises to have both national languages as official languages of the country, the Sinhala leadership consisting both major parties jointly enacted this law. Sinhala was made the only official language for the entire country by this act…
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[Currently available at http://sangam.org/official-language-act-no-33-1956/]

 

Bandaranayake-Chelvanayakam Pact (1957).
Following Tamil agitation over a million Tamils being stripped of citizenship and Sinhala being made the only official language, the Sinhala Prime Minister SWRD Bandarnayake entered into a pact with Tamil leader SJV Chelvanayakam. As evident, the Tamil leaders compromised tremendously for the sake of peace. This pact was unilaterally abrogated by the Sinhala PM.
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Senanayake-Chelvanayakam Pact (1965).
Another Sinhala PM, Dudley Senanayake, entered into a pact with the Tamil leader SJV Chelvanayakam in 1965, with fewer concessions to the Tamils than even the Bandaranayake-Chelvanayakam Pact. This pact too was unilaterally abrogated by the Sinhala PM.
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Tamil United Front Plea to Commonwealth Nations (1974).
Having failed, through decades of peaceful & democratic efforts to realize equality for the Tamil people in the national, political and social life in a united Ceylon (Sri Lanka), all Tamil political parties unitedly made this last minute plea to the Commonwealth Nations in 1974.
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The Vaddukoddai Resolution (1976).
The peaceful pleas of Tamils went unheard. Finally, the Tamil United Front, representing all Tamils, adopted a resolution, on 14 May 1976, to secede from the state of Sri Lanka.
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The Tamil United Liberation Front Election Manifesto (1977)
All Tamil political parties contested the general Elections of 1977, under the common banner of The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF). This the election manifesto of the TULF.
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Thangathurai Statement from the dock (1983)
Nadarajah Thangathurai, one of the earliest Tamil Freedom Fighters of Thamileelam, was arrested by the Sinhala government of Sri Lanka. He and five others were sentenced to life imprisonment on 24 February 1983. Extracts of his statement from the dock.
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The Thimpu Declaration (1985).
A Joint statement made by the Tamil delegation at the Indian brokered peace negotiations on 13 July 1985 in Thimpu, Bhutan.
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The Indo-Srilanka Accord (1987).
Rajiv Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India, intervened, but the priorities were not restoration of lost rights of the Tamil people.
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A Proposal for the Resolution of the National Conflict in Sri Lanka (1997).
A compromise proposal by Bates, Wells & Braithwaite (A London based constitutional law firm) on behalf of the International Peace Support Group.
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LTTE Appeal to President Nelson Mandela (1998)
We appeal to President Nelson Mandela and his Government who hosts this great forum and to the leaders of the Third World to recognize the collective aspirations of our people for national identity and self determination. We call upon you to use your good office to impress upon the Government of Sri Lanka to abandon its aggressive military policy and seek a negotiated settlement based on the principles enunciated at Thimpu talks.
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Tamil National Alliance  Election Manifesto (2001)
The parliamentary elections scheduled for 5th December 2001 will be an important landmark in the political history of the Tamil nationality. It is imperative that the present situation of drift and uncertainty be ended and that the Tamil national question be addressed with all the seriousness and urgency it deserves. A brief reiteration of the political experiences and history of the Tamil nationality in the past fifty-two years since independence would be relevant…
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Agreement on a ceasefire between the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (2002)
The overall objective of the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (hereinafter referred to as the GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (hereinafter referred to as the LTTE) is to find a negotiated solution to the ongoing ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka…
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