Interestingly, it was Tamils in the north who led the 20th century struggle for independence, even though Sinhalese communities rebelled against the British in 18. Such tensions were exacerbated by Tamils’ ability to occupy a disproportionate number of civil service positions because of the wide availability of English-language, Western-style education in the Tamil-dominated North. This contributed to the ethnic tensions and conflicts between Sinhalese and other communities, namely Tamils, which survive today. In keeping with colonial “divide and conquer” strategies, the British colonizers favored Burghers, high-caste Sinhalese, and Tamils. During their rule, the British brought Tamils from India as indentured laborers for tea and other plantations. In the 1500s, European colonization began, after which some coastal areas were controlled by the Portuguese, then the Dutch, and finally the British, who colonized the entire island in 1815. The Tamil people are concentrated in the North-East of the island, which many call Eelam (or homeland). Less than 1% are individuals of mixed Sri Lankan and European descent (or Burghers) and other communities. The inhabitants of the island of Sri Lanka are 74% Sinhalese, the majority of whom are Buddhist 13% Tamils, who are both Hindu and Christian and 8% Muslims who are generally Tamil-speaking.