In an 18 February 1997 telephone interview, an official at the High Commission for the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in Ottawa stated that plantation Tamils of Indian origin live in Badulla town, the main town in Badulla district, Uva province (18 Feb. 1997). The official was unable to provide population statistics. The official stated that these Tamils do not experience any problems in Badulla town and stressed that there is no armed conflict in the area. He added that Badulla town is under government control (ibid.). According to the Ceylon Tourist Board in Colombo, approximately 20 per cent of the population of Badulla town is Tamil, whereas in the tea estates surrounding Badulla town, approximately 60 to 75 per cent of the population is Tamil (19 Feb. 1997).

According to the map from the February 1996 Minority Rights Group (MRG) publication Sri Lanka: A Bitter Harvest, the population in Badulla district is 68.5 per cent Sinhalese, 21.1 per cent Up-Country Tamil, 5.7 per cent Sri Lankan Tamil, 4.2 per cent Muslim and 0.5 per cent other (9). Please consult the attached map from the World Directory of Minorities for an ethnic breakdown of the Sri Lanka population.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Ceylon Tourist Board, Colombo. 19 February 1997. Telephone interview with representative.

High Commission for the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Ottawa. 18 February 1997. Telephone interview with official.

Minority Rights Group (MRG). February 1996. Elizabeth Nissan. Sri Lanka: A Bitter Harvest. London: MRG.

Minority Rights Group International. 1990. The World Directory of Minorities. The High, Harlow, Essex: Longman Group UK.

Attachments

Minority Rights Group (MRG). February 1996. Elizabeth Nissan. Sri Lanka: A Bitter Harvest. London: MRG, p. 9.

Minority Rights Group International. 1990. The World Directory of Minorities. The High, Harlow, Essex: Longman Group UK, p. 323.

Additional Sources Consulted

The Encyclopedia of the Third World.

The Europa World Year Book 1996. 1996.

Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports. (Internet)

The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1989.

Political Handbook of the World: 1995-1996. 1996.

Refugee Branch Asylum Division (RBAD), Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Ottawa. Infrequent reports. 1996 to present.

SHARENet database.

Sri Lanka: A Country Study. 1990.

Sri Lanka: A Travel Survival Kit. May 1993.

On-line search of media sources.