The history of Sri Lankas ethnic struggle extends back at least to 1956. when the minority Tamils were first seriously aggrieved by legislation designed to promote the primacy of SinhaleseBuddhist culture in Sri Lankan society. Ethnic riots have burst out sporadically since then. though the summer of 1983 marked a dramatic increase in the severity of the violence. Since 1983. more than 6.000 Sri Lankans have been killed. and over 200.000 Sri Lankan Tamils have become refugees. The increasingly radicalized Tamil separatists have committed numerous atrocities against Sinhalese civilians. Government troops. paramilitary forces. and police have killed many Tamil noncombatants. and according to international press reports and Amnesty International. they have been guilty of numerous other human rights abuses.
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refugees