The British used divide and rule policies in Sri Lanka by favoring the Tamil population over the native Sinhalese population. They chose to place Tamils in bureaucratic positions, creating a divide between the two ethnic groups. This ultimately led to tensions and conflicts between the Sinhalese and Tamils in Sri Lanka. Additionally, the British may have exacerbated these divisions by implementing policies that marginalized and oppressed the ethnic minorities, such as scorched-earth tactics and making the Tamils refugees of the nation after a military coup. Overall, the British systematically exploited and manipulated the ethnic differences in Sri Lanka to maintain control and divide the population.
