The demographics of the Sri Lanka that the British came to were very different from the one that obtained when they left in 1948. South Indian labour had been brought to the Vanni and Jaffna by the Dutch for the tobacco plantations prior to the British arrival. The local population was evicted in the process. Then the British brought in another mass of labour from the same source for the Tea estates, which again saw the local population evicted for the purpose. In addition the Tamils were given plum jobs in the civil service under British tutelage to rule over the majority community, in true British fashion. The Sinhala became the second class citizens in their own country.

The Tamils had no need to demand for a separate state under the British, but they had demanded 50:50 parliamentary representation for a minority, to retain their privileged status. That was however, not granted. The other demands based on fantasy came later.