Black July 1983 remembered

Sinhala rioters celebrate as they pause in the destruction of homes and businesses in Tamil sectors of Colombo

Tamil man stripped naked by Sinhala rioters. Photograph Chandragupta Amarasinghe 23 July 2015 Today Eelam Tamils around the world mark thirty-two years from the horrors of the anti-Tamil pogrom of 1983, when Tamils were killed by Sinhala mobs backed by the then UNP government and state forces. Armed with electoral rolls, Sinhala mobs targeted Tamil homes and businesses looting and ransacking property. Driven from their homes, particularly in Colombo, over 3000 Tamils were massacred, whilst thousands more were effectively deported by the state to the North-East.

Black July 1983 Remembered by Thavam Ratna