The Burning of the Jaffna Public Library

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Witness History: Witness Archive 2015 not yet transcribed

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Recorded01 Jun 2015

Publisherpodcasts.files.bbci.co.uk ↗

Handlerec:1146378

Show notes

On June 1st 1981, the public library in the Sri Lankan city of Jaffna was set on fire. The library was a symbol of Tamil cultural heritage, and the fire was one of the early triggers for the Sri Lankan civil war. Witness hears from former Jaffna resident Nirmala Rajasingam and journalist Francis Wheen.(Photo: A bird flies over the Jaffna public library in Jaffna, 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of the capital Colombo, 2013. Credit: Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP/Getty Images)

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