Patricia Lawrence, also has been interviewed by the local TV stations for publicizing to the local audience, the airing of the National Geographic Special. Research by a University of Colorado at Boulder doctoral student on the plight and religious life of Tamil people seeking solace within Sri Lanka's war zone will be featured in a National Geographic Explorer TV special Dec. 1. The Tamil struggle is not a case of religious nationalism. Tamils' grievances are based on a history of discrimination in language, education, employment and land tenure. Lawrence's research documents how some local religious practices help people come to terms with executions, torture, abductions, and arrests by the government military forces.
Suicides are also extremely common in the war zone.
Suicide is becoming more common among the elderly, which is unusual in any society. The emergency rule in Sri Lanka allows the government military to arbitrarily arrest and detain thousands of Tamils, said Lawrence, there have been cases in which civilians have been held for five years by the government without a court order or charge being filed against them.