Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora

The Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora refers to the global diaspora of the people of Sri Lankan Tamil origin. It can be said to be a subset of the larger Tamil diaspora.

Like other diasporas, Sri Lankan Tamils are scattered and dispersed across the globe, with concentrations in Canada, India, Europe, Australia, USA, Malaysia and Singapore.

Background information

Sri Lankan Tamil people The term Ceylonese is derived from Ceylon which was the British name for Sri Lanka. Jaffnese refers those people from the Jaffna region. Most of the people from the Diaspora tend to be from this region. The term Jaffnese is said to also refer to the ancient Jaffna kingdom to which all Sri Lankan Tamils claim cultural lineage. The terms Ceylonese and Jaffnese are popularly used in Malaysia and Singapore by the Sri Lankan Tamils to differentiate themselves from the larger Malaysian Indian population who are predominantly of Tamil origin.

;Distinct phases of immigrationThe Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora is difficult to explain in one example. It was neither a continuous process nor a sudden one. It cannot be attributed to a single circumstance or incident. In fact, even the history of migration of Sri Lankan Tamils in each country is different and has to be read and understood separately.

However, to simplify, the Diaspora can be divided into three distinct periods:
*British Colonial Period,
*Pre-1983
*Post-1983

In the past, Sri Lankan Tamils tended to differentiate themselves from emigrant Indian Tamil communities in host countries by their caste, socio-economic status, unique Sri Lankan Tamil dialects, religious practices and food and cultural habits. [ [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/5180/srilitt.html 50 years of Sri Lankan Tamil literature ] ]

British Colonial Period

The Sri Lankan Tamils were quick to grab educational and economic opportunities available to them when Sri Lanka was under British colonial rule.

Mostly the Vellalar Jaffna Tamils availed themselves of the educational opportunities provided by the colonial authorities and missionaries and took up many government posts offered to locals by the British. The British themselves were said to prefer Tamils, leading to the majority Sinhalese disenchantment with the minority Tamils who felt the Tamils were much better off and the Sinhalese were deprived leading to the current ethnic conflict.

In foreign lands under British rule, the British needed hardworking and skillful people to take up government posts, mainly as clerks. This led to the first wave of migrations by the Tamils to countries such as Malaysia (then Malaya), Singapore and the then Madras Presidency in India.

Malaysia and Singapore

Ceylonese Tamils made up an overwhelming majority in the civil service of British Malaya and Singapore prior to independence. It was in Malaysia and Singapore, that the term Ceylonese and Jaffnese were popularly used by the Sri Lankan Tamils to differentiate themselves from the larger Malaysian Indian population who were predominantly of Tamil origin.

After the Pangkor Treaty of 1874, the British embarked upon the construction of roads, railways, schools, hospitals and government offices in the Malay Peninsular, to develop the country and to increase its revenue.

"It was to meet those early problems that Malaya looked to its older sister Ceylon for help and probably, the then Governor of the Straits Settlements secured the despatch to Perak of the 2nd division of the Ceylon Pioneer Corp. "So it fell to the Ceylonese to survey the railways and to build and man them, to be apothecaries in the hospitals, to be technical assistants to qualified engineers and to staff the clerical services on which an expanding government was bound increasingly to depend.

In Kuala Lumpur, the Ceylon Tamil population was mainly concentrated in Brickfields and Sentul because of the proximity of the Administrative Centre of the Malayan Railway (opposite the railway station) and the Sentul Workshop. The Government provided accommodation for the white and the blue collar workers in these areas. The Ceylon Tamils living in both these areas were devout Saivites and as they fervently believed that "no one should live in a place that has no Temple ", they soon began to organize themselve into Associations. This gave birth to the Sri Kandaswamy Kovil, Brickfields, which has become a landmark and tourist attraction in the city, showcasing Sri Lankan Tamil and Hindu architecture at its finest.

Many of the first Asian and non-white doctors and engineers in Malaya and Singapore were of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. The world's first Asian surgeon was Dr S.S. Thiruchelvam, a Malayan of Ceylonese Tamil origin.

Former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew once said:cquote2|In terms of numbers, the Ceylonese, like the Eurasians, are among the smallest of our various communities. Yet in terms of achievements and contributions to the growth and development of the modern Singapore and Malaysia they have done more than warranted by their numbers. In the early days of Malaysia’s and Singapore’s history the civil service and the professions were manned by a good number of Ceylonese. Even today the Ceylonese community continues to play a prominent role in these and other fields of civil life.

For example in Singapore, today, the Speaker of Parliament is a Ceylonese. So is our High Commissioner in Great Britain. So is our Foreign Minister. In the Judiciary, in the civil service, in the university, in the medical Service and in the professions they continue to make substantial contributions out of all proportion to their numbers. They are there not because they are members of a minority community but on the basis of merit.

The point is that the Ceylonese are holding their own in open competition with communities far larger than them. They have asked for no special favour or consideration as a minority. What they have asked for – and quite rightly – is that they should be judged on their merits and that they be allowed to compete with all other citizens fairly and without discrimination. This, as far as the Singapore government is concerned, is what is best for all of us. I believe that the future belongs to that society which acknowledges and rewards ability, drive and high performance without regard to race, language or religion.

The Ceylonese community established many schools, banks, cultural societies, cooperatives and temples in Malaysia and Singapore. Some good examples would be the Jaffnese Cooperative Society, Vivekananda Ashrama and the Vivekananda Tamil School in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.

Many Ceylonese were also involved in the independence movements in Malaya and Singapore. In Singapore, there are many current and past ministers who are of Ceylonese Tamil in origin and Tamil is a national language. Sinnathamby Rajaratnam was the former foreign minister and deputy prime minister of Singapore and regarded as one of the founding fathers of Singapore. His death in 2006 was marked with a state funeral by the government of Singapore. The Singapore flag was flown at half mast at all public buildings and former Prime Minister and friend Lee Kuan Yew cried when giving his eulogy.

Even today, the Sri Lankan community in Malaysia and Singapore is an upwardly mobile community taking up many professional and government posts. One of Malaysia's and South East Asia's richest men is billionaire Tan Sri Ananda Krishnan, who regularly makes it to "Forbes" magazine's billionaire list.

Pre-1983

During the period post-independence and prior to Black July 1983, there was not much migration.

However, this changed as the government of Sri Lanka, which tended to be controlled by Sinhalese started introducing policies, such as the Sinhala Only Act, which curtailed opportunities Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Before 1956, Tamils were proportionately over-represented in the civil service because of their high achievement of preferential treatment by the Colonial Rulers. Until 1956, this was their passport to government employment. As Cheran (2000: 110) argues, " [t] he class dimension of the Sinhala Only Act must not be forgotten. The battle of the languages was in reality a battle for government jobs." Unemployment among [the majority] Sinhala youth generated considerable political pressure for the government to act in a manner that ironically consolidated identity based on nation, despite the economic antecedents to such identity formation. [http://web.mit.edu/cis/www/migration/seminars/Discussion_Hyndman.pdf#search='Sri%20Lanka%20Tamil%20migration'] Althouggh the Sinhala only act was repelled in 1959, it did not stop Tamils leaving Sri Lanka searching for better employment opportunities.

Post-1983 (The Scattering)

The eruption of the civil conflict in Sri Lanka between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam saw mass migration of Tamils to escape the hardships and bitter life of a country torn at war. (See also Black July)

Initially, it was professionals such as doctors and engineers who emigrated. This was followed by the poorer segments of the community who sold everything they had to be able to get a passport and ticket and seek asylum in foreign lands. The bitter ethnic fighting in Sri Lanka had driven over 800,000 Sri Lankan Tamils from their homeland, forcing them to find refuge around the globe.

But they are not languishing. Their innate ambition, love of education and commitment to community have brought Lanka's refugees more opportunity than oppression. They have become professionals, built religious places and strengthened their situation in almost every case. Yes, they had suffered deeply but they are now established, and their enhanced financial and intellectual resources are feeding back to families and causes in Sri Lanka. This was made evident during the 2004 Tsunami disaster when intensive pressure by the Tamil diaspora forced many western governments to implement emergency aid to Tamil-affected areas; places which otherwise would have been neglected. Similarly many cases of Sri Lankan government actions are quickly reported across the globe within hours of occurring, thus helping to keep the world informed of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka.

In trying to rein in the Tamil population, the Sinhalese Buddhist-dominated Sri Lankan government had inadvertanly spread them like wildflower seeds across the planet where they (along with their spiritual and cultural heritage) are taking root and flourishing as never before. One is reminded of a Guru Nanak story. Inhospitably received in a village, he bestowed a seeming blessing, saying, "May God keep you together always." Warmly welcomed in another, he uttered an apparent curse, "May God scatter you everywhere." Pressed to explain, he offered: "It is better that bad people stay in one place so their influence is limited; similarly, it is best that good people are dispersed so their influence becomes widespread."

Australia

Among the first Sri Lankan immigrants to Australia were those recruited to work on the cane plantations of northern Queensland in the late 19th century. There are also reports of Sri Lankan workers in the gold-mining regions of New South Wales and the pearling industry in Broome, Western Australia. Estimates of numbers during this time range from 500 to 1,000 persons; the 1901 Australian Census recorded 609 Sri Lanka-born.

There was no significant migration from Sri Lanka before 1948, when the country gained independence from Britain. When the Sinhalese began to assert the power of their majority, however, many Burghers or English-speakers of Sri Lankan - European descent and Tamils began to migrate to other countries.

Following implementation of the Immigration Restriction Act 1901, which introduced policies excluding non-Europeans from entry to Australia, those of non-European appearance were precluded from entry. Thus the Burghers alone were allowed to enter Australia.

In the early 1970s, the restrictions on entry of non-Europeans were eased and a new wave of Tamils, Sinhalese and Burghers entered the country. Between 1961 and 1971, the Sri Lanka-born population rose from 3,433 to 9,091 and again to 22,516 by the time of the 1986 Census.

In the period of 1986 - 1996, the Sri Lanka-born community in Australia has doubled in size. The upsurge of migration from Sri Lanka has resulted from the continuing conflict between Tamil separatists and the Sri Lankan Government. The number of humanitarian entrants has increased since the introduction in January 1995 of the Special Assistance Category (SAC) Class 215 for Sri Lankans. The most recent wave of migrants to Australia includes Sinhalese Buddhists and Tamil Hindus who have strong cultural and political consciousness. Since 1991, there has also seen significant migration from Sri Lanka under the Family Migration, Onshore Protection, and Skilled Migration categories.

The latest census in 2001 recorded 53,610 Sri Lanka-born persons in Australia, an increase of 14 per cent from 1996. The 2001 distribution by State and Territory showed Victoria had the largest number with 26,670 followed by New South Wales (16,910), Queensland (3,990) and Western Australia (2,970).

In 2001, of Sri Lanka-born people aged 15 years and over, 57.1 per cent held some form of educational or occupational qualification compared with 46.2 per cent for all Australians. Among the Sri Lanka born, 37.2 per cent had higher qualifications and 10.3 per cent had certificate level qualifications. Of the Sri Lanka-born with no qualifications, 24.9 per cent were still attending an educational institution.

Among Sri Lanka-born people aged 15 years and over, the participation rate in the labour force was 67.5 per cent and the unemployment rate was 7.9 per cent. The corresponding rates in the total Australian population were 63.0 and 7.4 per cent respectively. Of the 30,500 Sri Lanka-born who were employed, 51.7 per cent were employed in a Skilled occupation, 30.8 per cent in Semi-Skilled and 17.4 per cent in Unskilled. The corresponding rates in the total Australian population were 52.6, 28.9 and 18.6 per cent respectively. [http://www.ozlanka.com/guides/srilanka-born.htm] [http://tormel.brinkster.net/sl_comm/sl_comm.html]

Canada

Tamil Canadian or Canadian Tamils are Canadians of Tamil ethnic origins mostly from Sri Lanka and other countries such as India, Malaysia, South Africa, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Fiji. It is estimated that the Tamil Diaspora in Canada ranges from between 110,000 to 400,000. From a population of fewer than 2,000 Tamils in 1983, it has become one of the largest visible minority population groups within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). More than 25,000 were added between 1984 and 1992; in the 1991 census, Tamils were the fastest-growing ethnic group in Metropolitan Toronto. Further Canada's Tamil population is thought to constitute the largest Sri Lankan diaspora in the world and Toronto is "the city with the largest number of Sri Lankan Tamils in the world".cite paper
author = Cheran, R
title = Changing Formations: Tamil Nationalism and National Liberationin Sri Lanka and the Diaspora
version = Ph.D. dissertation
publisher = Department of Sociology, York University
date = 2000
url =
format =
accessdate = 2007-08-31] cite paper
author = Jennifer Hyndman
title = Aid, conflict and migration: the Canada Sri Lanka connection
version =
publisher = Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University
date = 2000
url =http://web.mit.edu/cis/www/migration/seminars/Discussion_Hyndman.pdf#search='Sri%20Lanka%20Tamil%20migration'
format =
accessdate = 2007-08-31] cite web
last = Sriskandarajah
first = Dhananjayan
authorlink =
title = Diaspora politics
work =
publisher = Springer US
date = 2005
url = http://www.springerlink.com/content/x2543gl118672348/ | format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-08-31 ]

UK

The UK has the longest established Sri Lankan Tamil community with over 150,000 Sri Lankan Tamils currently living in London, with eight British Sri Lankan Tamils currently serving as local councillors in Greater London. According to market sources, more than 5000 businesses are now owned by Sri Lankan Tamils, providing a major economic contribution towards the British Economy. Apart from this, more than 20,000 work in highly professional jobs with more than 250 law firms are established by Sri Lankan Tamils. The number of Sri Lankan Tamil doctors or General Practitioners is said to number above 6000 (from a community of 150,000). Many other Sri Lankan Tamils work in retail and customer service, where they are known for their hard work and endeavour. This has led to the popular perception of Tamils being either petrol station workers or working behind the counter at KFC, however the great educational achievements of this community should also be noted. Indeed the success of many Tamil students in mathematical subjects has given the community an odd source of pride, as well as an unfair stigma on those Tamil students who prefer art-based subjects at school.

The first wave of Tamils came in the 1960s and 1970s, mostly as students or graduates pursuing higher degrees. After the 1983 anti-Tamil race riots, many Tamils subsequently left their ancestral homelands in North-Eastern Sri Lanka with the UK being a favoured destination, given the 200 year involement of the British in Sri Lankan affairs, and the fact that the Sri Lankan model of education was largely copied from the British, producing a people with great familiarity with the English language and customs. Indeed it has not been surprising to see tamils such as George Alagiah reading the BBC evening news without betraying any hint of his non-British origins. The achievements of the UK Tamil community was duly recognised at the highest levels when the Queen of England visited a Sri Lankan Tamil Hindu temple in Archway, North London during her Golden Jubilee celebrations. This trip was somewhat soured by Prince Philip asking one of the temple priests if he was a Tamil tiger activist, though this was seen as a source of humour if anything else.

An important focus for many Tamils living in London is Queen's Market, Upton Park, Tooting, Ealing Road. According to the New Economics Foundation, Queen's Market is London's most ethnically diverse market.

Germany

, Over 60,000 German Tamils are highly organised and, though traditionally fluent in English, they have managed to learn German to the extent of speaking it as fluent as the natives.Fact|date=January 2007 They are said to own two TV channels and 11 radio stations which are in Tamil.Fact|date=January 2007 They own many businesses too contributing to the national economic growth.Fact|date=January 2007

Religious fervor among Tamil Germans intensified as their numbers swelled. Due to the inspirational encouragement of Hawaii Subramaniaswami – the disciple of Yoga Swamigal – two well organized Hindu temples – Sidhivinayagar Kovil and the kamadchi Amman Kovil –have in place in the city of Hamm since 1984. According to the journal Hinduism Today, the youth are being well trained in their religion and culture at home and in weekend schools in rented halls using texts from Sri Lanka. They even wear Hindu symbols of Vibuthi and Tilakam. [http://www.sangam.org/articles/view2/?uid=585]

The second, third Generations of Tamils have integrated very well in to the German socity contributing in all skilled profesions. Tamils are known as Hard workers .The identity of Hindus can be seen in city Hamm where the Temple was build with 17 meter high Gopuram and the layout rebuild in Germany after Kamadchi-Ampal Temple in South India.

France

Over 100,000 Sri Lankan Tamils living in FranceIn only 10 years, "Little Jaffna", located at the last stretch of the winding street of Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis in the 10th arrondissement, between metros Gare de Nord and La Chapelle, has sprung to life and begun to truly flourish. It is commonly mistakenly called by the average Parisian as Little Bombay. [http://www.parisfranceguide.com:81/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=41]

The vast majority of Parisian Tamils fled Sri Lanka as refugees in the 1980s, escaping the violent civil conflict. The French Prefecture was initially quite reluctant about granting asylum to Tamils. In 1987, the Office for the Protection of Refugees (OFPRA) gained in power and opened up a period of nearly systematic asylum. This liberal period eventually tapered off in the 90s as a result of new European measures designed against an influx in immigration. Today, there are about 100,000 Sri Lankan Tamils living in France, of which the greatest number live in Paris.

Little Jaffna is also famous for the annual chariot procession held during Ganesha Chathurthi. Both the area and event have become popular tourist attractions.

Other European countries

Switzerland has about 40,000 Tamils, the majority of whom are from Sri Lanka who have gone as refugees. Although they are well entrenched in the country and integrated with the local community, yet they are actively alive to their Hindu religious and Tamil cultural links.Fact|date=January 2007 Temples, cultural festivals, international conferences, seminars and meetings draw a large number of the Tamil Diaspora from other European countries to the various Swiss cities, so much so that it has become the nerve centre of Tamil cultural activism. Tamil language classes, dance and music classes run by voluntary bodies are fast increasing. First Generations of Srilankan-Tamils majority work in Restaurant and overtook through their hard work the role as chef cook, Restaurant management, serving Cusstomers. The recogonition earned as honest, hard working people through out the country. Second generation has completed well educated skilled force to Swiss economy, working in finance, bank, Insurance,management. Large community established in Zuerich with a place known as little Jaffna. Kanton Basel, Bern. Geneva.Most of the Tamils do reside in German part of Switzerland.

Netherlands has more than 20,000 Tamils, the majority of whom are refugees from Sri Lanka.

Norway has about 13,000 Tamils, most of whom are Sri Lankan refugees. The city of Bergen is the home for about 400 Tamil families. It has become the centre for Tamil gatherings. Yogarajah Balasingam (Baskaran) is the first elected Tamil member for the city council there.

Sweden has a Tamil population of about 2,000 which is of recent origin.

Denmark has over 7,000 Tamils, the majority being refugees. There are two well-patronized Hindu temples – one for Vinayagar and another for Abhirami – and the Tamil population has got well adapted to the Danish environment. [http://www.sangam.org/articles/view2/?uid=585]

tatistics

The migrated Tamil population post-1983 is said to be above 800,000. [http://tamiltigers.net/features/migration/te_migration.html]

ee also

* Indians in Singapore
* List of Sri Lankan Tamils
* List of loan words in Sri Lankan Tamil
* Sri Lankan Tamil Slang
* Tamil diaspora

References

Further reading

Books

*CIC [Citizenship and Immigration Canada] . 2001 ‘Facts and Figures 2000: Immigration Overview’, (Ottawa: Ministry of Public Works and Government Services Canada) 1996 ‘Facts and Figures 1996: Immigration Overview’, accessed on May 9, 2001 at URL: www.cic.gc.ca/English/pub/facts96/4e.html

*VAITHEESPARA, R.1999 ‘Tamils’ in P. M. Magosci (ed.) Encyclopaedia of Canada’s Peoples. (Toronto: University of Toronto Press), 1247-1254

*WAYLAND, S. 2004 'Nationalist networks and Transnational Opportunities: the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora', Review of International Studies 30: 405-426.

*SRISKANDARAJAH, D. 2002 'The Migration-Development Nexus: Sri Lanka case study', paper prepared for the Centre for Development Research study: Migration- Development Links: Evidence and Policy Options, Magdalen College, Oxford, UK

External links

* [http://www.tamilnation.org/diaspora/ Tamil Diaspora - A Trans State Nation by Nadesan Satyendra]
* [http://murugan.org/research/sivasupramaniam.htm History of Tamil Diaspora by V. Sivasupramaniam]
* [http://www.student.city.ac.uk/~ra826/group6/m2511page.htm The Tamil Diaspora Refugees and migrants in the UK]
* [http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1405/MR1405.ch3.pdf Diasporas support for Insurgencies a Rand report]
* [http://www.icescolombo.org/events/Conf/stn2004/conf_papers/paper02.htm Brides as Bridges? Traditions, Marriage Markets and Tamil diaspora] by Prof M .Sidharthan, Johns Hopkins University
* [http://tamiltigers.net/features/migration/te_migration.html Stats on Tamil Migration from Sri Lanka]
* [http://www.tamilguardian.com/tg112/community.htm Canada's Tamils celebrate their successes]
* [http://www.pact.lk/ Peace and Conflict Timeline (PACT)]
* [http://library.uws.edu.au/adt-NUWS/public/adt-NUWS20030811.181255/index.html Sri Lankan Tamils in Australia]