Sri Lanka

In July 1983 tension between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamils erupted. There were riots and property was burned and destroyed. The Sri Lankan government proceeded to kill 70,000 Tamils and left hundreds of thousands displaced. The government has been accused of several human rights violations such as abduction, torture, gender based violence, and use of child soldiers. Towards the end of the war about 250,000 Tamils were sent camps.

Ahalya is a Sri Lankan genocide survivor who worked in a hospital during the war. She recalls a lot of bombs going off and seeing bodies everywhere, people starving, and children dying of hunger. A shell hit her own mother and Ahalya's family couldn't go to see her body since shells were still falling. Ahalya's son became very sick so they left the area to find help and she ended up being separated from her son and being put in a camp. When the government found out her brother was an LTTE soldier they interrogated her and she tried to commit suicide. Once released from being a prisoner she was told to report to the police every two weeks but was tortured when she did, so she fled the area out of fear.

This video from 2016 shows footage of the Sri Lankan genocide; it shows hospitals and refugee camps being shelled. Many people are dead or wounded. A woman cries wondering where her child is. The exact number of civilian and military deaths are unknown. Independent journalists are not allowed near the front line. Several people were sent to what the government refers to as relief villages; others call it concentration camps. One person interviewed says he feels happy there. A lady who helps with health services says the camp is better than other ones and there is a bit of normalcy there. People there are happy to be safe, but they're not allowed to leave or have visitors.

In an area of Sri Lanka where the government declared as a "No Fire Zone", it became a killing field. The Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger rebels killed thousands of people. Many were trapped there during the last months of the war. The area has now been turned into a tourist attraction with playgrounds and cafes. Along with the other places the government has built victory monuments, it's left the Tamils without proper time to grieve their dead relatives. The neighboring villages were also still shattered with war.