Forgotten Experiences of Up-country Tamil Women in Transitional Justice Decrease in Population Size According to the Department of Census and Statistics, the population of Up-country Tamils, or “Indian Tamils” as they are still officially classified, has been on the decrease as a percentage of the total population of Sri Lanka. The table below illustrates this data clearly: Table 1. Up-country Tamil population, 1953-2011 Year Number of ‘Indian Tamils’ Percentage (%) of Total Population 1953 974,100 12.03 1963 1,123,000 10.61 1971 1,174,606 9.26 1981 818,656 5.51 2011 839,504 4.12 Source:http://www.statistics.gov.lk/page.asp?page=Population%20and%20 Housing,p. 8. Though the increased use of contraceptives and awareness on reproductive health have had an impact, the fact of multiple displacement and identity-shifting by Up-country Tamils in the North and the East has played a major role in reducing their numbers in the total population. Based on the interviews for this study, the displaced community register themselves as Sri Lankan and not Indian Tamils. Multiple Displacements Multiple displacements are another issue that both men and women face. However, women face specific issues such as physical 73