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Sri Lanka, victim of a series of attacks that made Sunday 207 dead and 450 wounded, it's an island in the Indian Ocean which houses an ethnic and religious mosaic and He suffers from more than 30 years of conflict with the Tamil separatists.
Located opposite the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent, the island of 65 000 km2 It has 21.4 million inhabitants, of which two-thirds are Sinhalese.
Tamils, the second largest ethnic group in the country, account for just over 15% of the population and are concentrated in the north and north-east of the country.
The wrecked bodies of the faithful inside the Church of San Sebastián, Negombo, Sri Lanka (EFE).
The vast majority of Sri Lankans are Buddhists (70%, mainly Sinhalese), while Hindus, mainly Tamils, account for 12%, Muslims 10% and Christians about 7%.
Sri Lanka, formerly called Ceylon, he became a British colony in 1815 after being under Portuguese control (1505-1656) and Dutch (1656-1796). The last Sinhalese king ruled from 1798 to 1815. The island gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1948.
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The Tamil rebels launched a campaign for independence in 1972. The Tamil rebellion was suppressed in May 2009 by the army, under a largely Sinhalese government, at the end of November. a war that caused up to 100,000 deaths.
In January, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena became the number two in the army a general accused by the UN of war crimes against Tamil separatists, provoking outrage from human rights organizations.
Since the end of the conflict, international tourism has developed strongly with more than two million visitors since 2016 (448,000 in 2009).
Sri Lanka is aware, however, of an increase in Buddhist extremism, fed by radical monks.
A tragic symbol: the statue of Jesus Christ was reversed after the explosion of the Church of San Sebastián (AFP).
In March 2018, a 10 – day emergency was declared for the first time since 2011 after the riots against the Muslim minority that killed three people.
Attacks today in three Catholic churches and three luxury hotels have been the target of religion and tourism. of Sri Lanka, without, for the moment, any group claiming paternity.
Dozens of people were killed and hundreds more injured in Sri Lanka during attacks on three churches where Easter Mbad and three luxury hotels (AFP) took place.
In a country that is not used to violence against Christians, although clashes between Buddhists and Muslims, the attacks also coincide with the celebration of Easter Sunday, one of the biggest holy week celebrations.
Attacks on high level tourist complexes are also not common in a country that has become one of the major tourist attractions of Southeast Asia. for its exuberant nature and rich historical heritage.
The blood of the victims has stained the walls of the church of San Sebastian and a statue of Jesus (AP).
Sri Lanka has experienced in recent years a growing industrial development which has brought its GDP to 87 175 million dollars and the per capita income at $ 3,840 in 2017, thanks largely to the booming tourism sector.
According to data from the World Bank, Sri Lanka had only two decades of hospitality (360,000 visitors in 1997) (2.1 million in 2017).
AFP and EFE agencies.
GML
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