

Violent persecution against the Tamil population erupted in the form of the 1956, 1958, 1977, 19 anti-Tamil pogroms, as well as the 1981 burning of the Jaffna Public Library. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam in the north-east of the island, due to the continuous discrimination and violent persecution against Sri Lankan Tamils by the Sinhalese dominated Sri Lankan Government. Beginning on 23 July 1983, there was an intermittent insurgency against the government by the Velupillai Prabhakaran-led Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, also known as the Tamil Tigers). : President Mahinda Rajapaksa officially declares end of civil war in parliament. : LTTE admit defeat by Sri Lankan Government. : Sri Lankan Government declared a military defeat of LTTE.



