Sri Lanka is an island nation. It has about 2 crore people, Sri Lanka has a diverse population. The major social groups are the Sinhala-speakers (74 percent) and the Tamil-speakers (18 percent). Among Tamils there are two subgroups. Tamil natives of the country are called ‘Sri Lankan Tamils’ (13 percent). The rest, are called ‘Indian Tamils’. Most of the Sinhala-speaking people are Buddhist, while most of the Tamils are Hindus or Muslims. There are about 7 percent Christians, who are both Tamil and Sinhala. In 1956, an Act was passed to recognise Sinhala as the only official language, thus disregarding Tamil. The government followed preferential policies that favoured Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs. A new constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism.
