List of riots in Sri Lanka

Location of Sri Lanka

Following is a List of riots in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is an island nation situated in South Asia. Throughout its history, it has experienced a number of riots. Many of them stem from ethnic tensions between its majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils and Moors populations since 1915 from time to time.^[1]

20th century[]

1900–1950[]

• 1915 - 1915 Ceylonese riots, Kandy, Central Province - Riots between Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Moors when a group of Moors attacked a Buddhist pageant with stones, soon spreading across the island.

1950s[]

• 1953 - 1953 Ceylonese Hartal, Western, Southern and Sabaragamuwa Provinces - a nationwide demonstration, a hartal which eventually led to civil unrest. It was one of the riots that didn't involve ethnicity and was conducted by Leftist groups.
• 1956 - 1956 anti-Tamil pogrom, Eastern Province - The first Sinhalese-Tamil riots in Ceylon. The majority of victims were Sri Lankan Tamils in Gal Oya, a new settlement in the Eastern Province. The total number of deaths is reportedly 150.^[2]
• 1958 - 1958 anti-Tamil pogrom, Sri Lanka - 1958 ethnic pogrom and riots popularly known also as the 58 riots was a watershed event in the race relationship of the various ethnic communities of Sri Lanka. The total number of deaths is estimated to be 300, mostly Sri Lankan Tamils.^[2]

1960s[]

• 1966 - Demonstrations in Colombo organized by the SLFP, left-wing parties, and trade unions in protest of the Tamil Regulations Act turned into riots, forcing the Government of Ceylon to declare a state of emergency.^[3]
• 1969 - Ceylon Communist Party (Maoist) conducted a mass rally in 1969 which ended in bloodshed, the major cause for the riot is the banning of the May Day rally. ^[4]

1970s[]

• 1970 - Ceylonese protests against the Vietnam War - started at the height of the Cold War with certain clashes between Leftists and the Sri Lankan police.
• 1977 - 1977 anti-Tamil pogrom, Sri Lanka - Anti-Tamil pogrom starting on 12 August 1977, less than a month after the United National Party came to power in 1977. Over 300 Tamils were killed during these riots.^[5]

1980s[]

• 1981 - Burning of Jaffna library, Jaffna, Northern Province - The destruction of the Jaffna Public Library, with the loss of over 100,000 books, artifacts and palm writings. Four Sri Lankan Tamils were killed.^[6]
• 1981 - anti-Tamil pogroms were carried out by Sinhalese mobs against predominantly Indian Tamils in Ratnapura, Kahawatte and Balangoda areas. Shops were looted and set on fire and many women and girls were raped by marauding mobs
• 1983 - Black July anti-Tamil pogrom, Sri Lanka - pogrom committed against Tamils of Sri Lanka where between 400 and 3,000 Tamil civilians were killed and many more made homeless and refugees. This was believed to be the origin of the Sri Lankan Civil War.^[7]
• 1987 - 1987 Trincomalee riots, Trincomalee, Eastern Province - riots against Sinhalese carried about by Tamil mobs, backed by militant leaders in Trincomalee that later morphed into LTTE violence against Sinhalese killed over 200 Sinhalese and rendered thousands homeless and displaced in the Eastern Province.

1990s[]

• 1997 - Kalutara prison riots, Kalutara Western Province - Three Tamil detainees were killed at the Kalutara high security detention center on 12 December 1997.^{[8][9][10][11]}

• On 8 September 1998, a riot was unleashed on Plantation Tamils in Ratnapura where 200 organised Sinhalese goons with the support of local Sinhala politicians burnt down 800 houses. Several rapes of Tamil women in the area by Sinhalese thugs was also reported. The riot was sparked by the murder of two Sinhala youths, one of them Bandusena, who had a reputation for raping women and being involved in illegal liquor sales. The Sinhala attackers were given full impunity by the local police and no one was held accountable for their crimes.^[12]

21st century[]

2000s[]

• 2001 - Mawanella Riots, Mawanella, Central Province - Clashes that resulted in the deaths of 2 people, and more than 15 injured and the destruction of property.
• 2002 - , Beruwala, Western Province - In 2002, sectarian clashes sparked between the Wahabbi and the Sunni sects of the Muslim community in Beruwala which left at least 3 dead and over 16 injured during police intervention in the conflict.^[13][14]

2010s[]

• 2012 - 2012 Welikada prison riot, Welikada, Western Province - A riot in the Welikada Prison in November 2012 resulted in death of 27 prisoners and 43 injuries.^[15][16][17]
• 2014 - 2014 anti-Muslim riots, Kalutara Western Province - Clashes between Sinhalese and Muslims resulting in four dead and 80 injured.
• 2018 - 2018 anti-Muslim riots - Clashes between Sinhalese and Muslims causing attacks on Muslim community, mosques.
• 2019 - 2019 anti-Muslim riots - Retaliation after the Easter bombings on Muslim community and Muslim-owned property and mosques.

See also[]

• Sri Lankan Civil War
• Human rights in Sri Lanka

References[]

Further reading[]

• Vittachi, Tarzie (1958). Emergency '58: The Story of the Ceylon Race Riots. Andre Deutsch. OCLC 2054641.
• Seneratne, Jagath P (1998). Political Violence in Sri Lanka, 1977-1990: Riots, Insurrections, Counter-Insurgencies, Foreign Intervention. VU University Press. ISBN 90-5383-524-5.

External links[]

• Timeline of ethnic conflict
• BBC timeline of Sri Lankan conflict