TRAVEL by Eric Mackenzie Lamb
A few weeks ago, while writing about the genocide in Rwanda, I couldn’t help but think of a similar situation, although to a lesser degree, in Sri Lanka.
I had met Waran Rawan, who was a Tamil, and who had fled the conflict and had been granted refugee status by the Swiss government. He now works as a cook in a popular restaurant in Andermatt, in the Swiss alps.
Here’s what he told me.
The war between the country’s Tamil minority and the Sinhalese majority took place between 1993 and 2009, and began shortly after independence from colonial rule. The Tamil population, located mostly in the northeast of the country, called for an independent state. The Sinhalese government was unwilling to grant their wish, and that’s when the conflict began. Even books, magazines, or films in the Tamil language were strictly forbidden.
After more than 20 years of civil war, the Sri Lankan military finally defeated the Tamil Tigers. It’s estimated that at least 80,000 to 100,000 people were killed, with many unaccounted for to this day. Surviving family members are still searching for their missing relatives, but with little success.
Yet another sad story.
