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Milton Keynes is home to the largest Sri Lankan community in Beds, Herts and Bucks.

The 'new city' was built by migration when people started moving there in 1967; and with a population of 230,000 it is now one of the most diverse places of its era. Some people came for better job prospects, some just fancied something new, but others came to escape war.

The effects of nearly two decades of civil war...

Anouska鈥檚 family are Sinhalese, one of the ethnic groups involved in the fighting in Sri Lanka.听 She says the cause of the conflict is a point of contention in itself...

"As far as I know, it goes back a long long way. Partly around the time when there was the British rule in Sri Lanka and a work force was brought over from South India, Tamil Nadu, the homeland for the majority of the Tamil population. They were brought over to work the tea estates and the paddy fields, that鈥檚 where issues started. Those people really were just left there after the British left and with the change in the politics in Sri Lanka there were discrepancies between Tamil and Sinhalese people in favour of both communities" said Anouska.

The calls of inequality from the Tamil people grew as the new country of Sri Lanka developed after independence.

The Tamil Tigers fought the Sri Lankan government

Kutty's memories of torture are familiar to many. "We were arrested on the allegation that we had come to Colombo to buy supplies for the Tigers.听 Our money was confiscated and we were detained for two months. Our hands and feet were tied up, they used plastic pipes and belts to hit us. I had to pay money to come out. That was the only way."

The Tamil Tigers, or the LTTE, are the militant group who fought the Sri Lankan government to create their own country.听 That fight lasted more than a quarter of a century and it is they who were defeated earlier this year.

A memorial for the Tamil Tiger rebels

The British Government condemned the group as terrorists but for people like Arul they were freedom fighters.

"We were helping the LTTE by digging out bunkers, preparing food for them, and assisting them in their training process. For us as Tamils living in the north of Sri Lanka, LTTE was the only organisation that helped, supported us. They were our organisation, they were part of our own liberation organisation" said Arul.

Listen to their stories here: