> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.jaffnamonitor.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # One Homeland, Two Diasporas: Why Sri Lankan Tamils Reject a Shared Identity - URL: https://www.jaffnamonitor.com/one-homeland-two-diasporas-why-sri-lankan-tamils-reject-a-shared-identity/ - Published: 2026-10-16T02:19:12.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-16T02:19:12.000Z - Author: M.R. Narayan Swamy - Tags: Book Review, October 2026 **By M.R. Narayan Swamy** There is a Sri Lankan diaspora. There is also a Tamil diaspora. And the twain shall not meet – at least not in the foreseeable future. This is more so in countries where Tamils of Sri Lankan origin outnumber the Sinhalese, particularly in Canada and across much of Europe. The agonizing bitterness caused by years of ethnic conflict, which killed innumerable thousands, and the horrific rout of the Tamil Tigers after around 25 years of fighting have only hardened the ‘us’ and ‘them’ syndrome. In the process, the vast and often successful Sri Lankan diaspora is divided on ethnic lines in country after country, existing amid an uneasy truce, divided by language, flag and, at times, even rituals. This is the picture one gets from the well-researched and beautifully produced *The Encyclopaedia of the Sri Lankan Diaspora*, published by Editions Didier Millet in collaboration with the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore. It is the first comprehensive study of the Sri Lankan diaspora, a tribute to the people of Sri Lankan origin who have achieved and contributed out of proportion to their numbers in many places. The fields in which the diaspora members have most succeeded include medicine, judiciary, science, engineering, academics, and politics and public administration, besides literature, culture and the arts. A key reason Sri Lankans who emigrated abroad found the ladder of success is because they were either already well educated and/or advised their children to embrace education as a lifelong friend. Although the ethnic conflict provided a major boost to the expansion of the diaspora, the saga of quitting Sri Lanka for greener pastures abroad took shape during the British colonial era, particularly in the region that later became Malaysia and Singapore. Sri Lankans were then known as Ceylonese. The Sri Lankan diaspora now totals some three million globally. This may be much less compared to the Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi diaspora. But considering the country’s population of 21 million (as per the 2011 census), it means that every eighth Sri Lankan is based overseas. This, the encyclopaedia’s authors say, is a remarkable diaspora-to-population ratio not matched by any of its South Asian counterparts. The Gulf is where Sri Lankans, dominantly workers, face umpteen problems. Labour-friendly laws do not exist; if they do, they are not applied against many employers. Unions are banned. Those perceived as troublemakers are sent home. Sponsors at times pay more for Muslim workers than non-Muslims. Breach of contract, non-payment of wages, and sexual harassment are widespread. There is an 89,000-strong Tamil community that made Tamil Nadu (India) its home after the 1983 anti-Tamil violence in Sri Lanka. Unlike Western countries, India refuses to grant citizenship, creating long-term problems for the Tamils although many of them have been born in Tamil Nadu and have never seen Sri Lanka. This is one of the saddest stories affecting the diaspora. One of the most successful Sri Lankan diaspora groups is in the United States, where up to 40 per cent are Tamils. Like in most Western countries, the Tamils identify themselves as a Tamil, not Sri Lankan, diaspora. Some Tamil groups in the US and Canada backed the Tamil Tigers’ war in Sri Lanka. Although the conflict ended in 2009, the diaspora’s self-perception remains largely ethno-centred. But second-generation Tamils often tend to be highly Americanised and largely isolated from transnational diaspora politics. Ethnocultural divisions also persist within the Sri Lankan diaspora in neighbouring Canada, even as both Tamils and Sinhalese embrace the unity and diversity of their adopted country. Canada is home to an estimated 350,000 Tamils, 75,000 Sinhalese and 30,000 Muslims. Toronto, often referred to as “Little Jaffna,” is the largest hub of Sri Lankan Tamils outside Sri Lanka. Ethnically based organisations have emerged as important pillars of community identity and social life. Although the average Sri Lankan in the UK is a wage earner, and only a tiny minority in the diaspora has shown business prowess, they have nevertheless an established presence in the restaurant business. In addition to the continuing successes of the elite, recent economic migrants are doing well in acquiring jobs and accumulating capital. In recent years, the Queen has conferred MBE and OBE titles to several members of the Sri Lankan community in recognition of their contribution to British society. A sudden influx of Tamil refugees in the mid-1980s and violence by a few among them generated hostility towards the community in the Netherlands. In contrast, the Sinhalese are known to maintain more contacts with the Dutch. After the war ended in Sri Lanka, Tamils in the Netherlands have come to be more focussed in securing their future in the country. More than 90 percent of the estimated 60,000 people of Sri Lankan origin in France are Tamils. (This is so in Germany too.) France, due to language barriers, became attractive only after the 1983 anti-Tamil riots. Paris accounts for almost all the Tamils. In one Paris district, many shops have portraits of Velupillai Prabhakaran, the Tamil Tigers’ slain chief, and flags of his Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The Sinhalese generally keep away from the history and culture of the much larger Tamil diaspora -- and vice versa. While London and Paris were the LTTE political hubs in Europe, Switzerland became the Tigers’ virtual banker. Many LTTE cadres obtained Swiss visas by posing as victims of the LTTE; once in Switzerland, they became active in the rebel cause. The relative non-interference from the Swiss Federal Police enabled the LTTE to build its network. Sri Lankans are among the largest migrant groups in Switzerland; of the around 50,000, the Sinhalese number only 3000 to 5000. Italy and Sweden are two countries where Sinhalese outnumber Tamils. But here too, the diaspora is organised along ethnic lines! In Italy, only a small segment of the diaspora has high-skilled jobs. Unlike the first-generation immigrants, the second generation is most unlikely to return to Sri Lanka and instead integrate into Italian society. Like in other countries, Tamils in Sweden do not identify themselves as Sri Lankans. Even second generation Tamils call themselves Swedish rather than Sri Lankan. However, unlike in Canada or the UK, Swedish politicians usually decline invitations to Sri Lankan/Tamil events. Since the war ended, Tamil nationalist activism has almost ceased. Barring some 500 Sinhalese, the rest of the 13,000-plus Sri Lankan immigrants in Norway are Tamil. Tamils have had good social mobility, with as much as 85 per cent of those with Sri Lankan background owning a home, a number matching the Norwegian population and much higher than among most other immigrant groups. Although many Tamils are employed in low-status work, the rate of employment among Sri Lankans is the highest in Norway among all immigrant groups. Sri Lanka-born emigrants in Australia comprise the 16th largest ethnic group in the country. Compared to most migrant communities in Australia, Sri Lankans have fared well economically and achieved prominence in professional life. Their success can be attributed to their proficiency in English and high levels of educational achievements. This encyclopaedia (hats off to the numerous contributors) is not just about the Sinhalese and Tamils – it covers every subject from communities to cuisine, from religion to weddings, and remittances to literature. Although published soon after the war ended in Sri Lanka, the facts which its editors – Peter Reeves, Rajesh Rai and Hema Kiruppalini – have gathered are a rich tribute to what men and women (and their children) from Sri Lanka have achieved globally. It is sad that the fellowship with one another which generations of Sri Lankans earlier had for one another has gone away due to political turmoil.