By contrast, the Sri Lankan Tamils, also referred to as Eelam Tamils, are said to be the descendants of Tamils of the old Jaffna Kingdom and east coast chieftaincies called Vannamials. Tamils in Sri Lanka have hardly been a uniform or united group in spite of the shared language. ‘Indian Tamils’ living in central and southern Sri Lanka, often inhabited, surrounded and dominated by Sinhala majority areas, were at a geographical distance and separate in origin from the Eelam Tamils of northern and eastern Sri Lanka. A long overdue Sri Lankan identityFor the longest time, the point of view of the Upcountry Tamils got little understanding and recognition amidst an assumed binary of Sinhalese-Tamil ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. After a prolonged struggle, the Sri Lankan Parliament in 2003 unanimously passed Grant of Citizenship to Persons of Indian Origin Act No.35 of 2003 which granted Sri Lankan citizenship to the remaining “Indian Tamils” in the central highlands, still numbering 168,141 at the time.

Source: Indian Express May 13, 2017 15:58 UTC