Sri Lanka 1948 to 2008

1948: Sri Lanka (Ceylon) gains independence from Britain.
1956: Solomon Bandaranaike becomes Prime Minister. Sinhala made official lan­guage.
1958: Anti-Tamil riots leave 200 people dead.
1959: Bandaranaike assassinated by a Bhuddist monk. His widow, Sirimavo becomes world's first woman Prime Minister.
1965: Opposition United National Party wins elections. 1970: Srimavo Bandaranaike returns to power.
1971: Sinhalese Marxists launch rebellion.
1972: Country's name changed to Sri Lanka.
1975: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) formed.
1977: Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) party wins all seats in Tamil areas. 1983: Civil war begins, sparked by anti-Tamil riots.
1987: India-Sri Lanka agreement signed.
1991: India's former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi assassinated by L TTE. 1993: LTTE kills President Ranasinghe Premadasa.
1999: L TTE tries to kill President Chandrika Kumaratunga.
2002: Sri Lankan government and L TTE sign cease-fire agreement. 2003: L TTE pulls out of peace talks.
2005: LTTE kills Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. Mahinda Rajapakse becomes President
2006: Army Chief hurt in LTTE bomb attack.
2007: LTTE fighters attack Anuradhapura air base. L TTE's second-in-command S.P.Thamilselvan is killed in an air raid.
2008.: Government troops attack LTTE's administrative headquarters Killinochi