Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon) is an island off the southern coast of India. The country is home to two separate nations, Sinhala and Tamil, who differ greatly in their language, culture, religion and history.
Following decades of Sinhala majority oppression of the Tamil minority, the Tamil nation began a liberation movement against the Sri Lankan state, calling for an independent sovereign state of Tamil Eelam, in the north-east of Sri Lanka – the centuries old Tamil homeland.
In May 2009, following a brutal campaign involving the indiscriminate targeting of Tamil civilian areas, culminating in the massacre of at least 40,000 Tamil civilians, the Sri Lankan state declared victory over the Tamil liberation struggle.
Despite the rhetoric of peace, the subjugation and persecution of Tamils continues today.