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Sri Lanka

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Map of Sri Lanka Last reviewed: 29 January 2010

Country information

Area: 65,610 sq km
Population: 19.4 million (2008, UN)
Capital City: Colombo (population 2.2m)
People: 73.94% Sinhalese, 12.7% Tamil, 7.1% Muslim, 5.5% Hill Tamil, and 1.5% other
Languages: Sinhalese, Tamil, English
Religion(s): Buddhist (69.3%); Hindu (15.5%); Muslim (7.5%); Christianity (6.9%), other (0.8%)
Currency: Rupee, divided into 100 cents
Major political parties: Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) (President’s party and largest government party), United National Party (UNP) (main opposition party), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) (left wing, Sinhala nationalist), Tamil National Alliance (a coalition of Tamil parties), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) (Sinhala nationalist Buddhist party led by monks), Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) (member of the TNA), Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) (a Tamil party opposed to the LTTE), Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) (represents Hill Tamils)
Government: Unicameral Parliament with Executive Presidency
Head of State (President): His Excellency Mr Mahinda Rajapakse
Prime Minister/Premier: The Hon Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Foreign Minister: The Hon. Rohitha Bogollagama MP
Membership of international groupings/organisations: Commonwealth, The South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC), United Nations (UN), Non Aligned Movement (NAM), Group of 77 at the United Nations (G77).

HEALTH

It is recommended you seek medical advice at least six weeks before travel. Discuss your vaccination requirements with your doctor.

Various mosquito borne diseases, such as Dengue fever, Chikungunya and Malaria are common to Sri Lanka. The number of cases of dengue fever in particular have risen sharply so far this year. You are also advised to avoid stray animals, as rabies is also prevalent. There was a confirmed outbreak of Leptospirosis (rat fever) in 2008.

Malaria Prophylaxis:

Malaria is present in the whole of the country, excluding the districts of Colombo, Galle, Kalutara, and Nuwara Eliya. The risk is highest in the Eastern Province (source website of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London www.thehtd.org).

Most of the malaria is of the Plasmodium Vivax type which is an unpleasant disease but rarely fatal. However, Plasmodium Falciparum does exist and can become rapidly fatal, so preventative measures are very important.

Prevention of Malaria depends on the following four points:

  • Awareness of risk when travelling to those areas affected.
  • Avoidance of bites. Use screens, repellents, long clothing, coils, mosquito nets and sprays to avoid mosquito bites particularly from dusk till dawn.
  • Prophylaxis. Taking anti malarial medication will reduce the likelihood of malaria if you do get bitten. See family doctor for prescription before travel.
  • Seek immediate medical attention for any fever or flu-like symptoms occurring within three months of travelling in a malaria risk area. A delay in diagnoses and treatment can be fatal. Tell your health care provider your travel history. Do not attempt to self-treat.

ECONOMY

Basic Economic Facts

GDP: US$ 37.2bn (2008)
GDP per head: US$ 1500 (2008)
GDP Growth: 6.0% (2008) 6.7% (2007)
Inflation: annual average 10.9% (July 2009)
Major Industries: Agriculture, forestry, fishing, Manufacturing, Construction, Utilities, Services.
Major trading partners: Main destinations of exports are: US (32.4%), EU (32.4%), Middle East (7.5%), and CIS (3.5%). Main origins of imports are: India (18%), Singapore (8.7%), Hong Kong (7.7 %), China (5.7%), Iran (5.2%).
Aid & development: The international donor community agreed US$ 4.5 billion for the period 2003-6. This was conditional on progress in the peace process, which unfortunately has not been achieved. Donors pledged approximately US$500 million for post-tsunami reconstruction. An IMF loan facility of $2.6 billion was approved in July 2009.
Tourist arrivals by country of residence: India 85,238 (19.4%); UK 81,331 (18.5%); followed by Germany, Maldives, Australia and Netherlands.
Exchange rate: (July 2009) US$1 - 114.9 rupees, £1 Sterling - 189.4 rupees.


The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) monitors trade and investment figures worldwide. For current economic background and sector reports on Sri Lanka please visit the UK Trade and Investment website: UK Trade & Investment Country Profile: Sri Lanka.

In March 2000 the Indo-Sri Lankan Free Trade Agreement (FTA) came into effect. At the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation) conference held in Pakistan in early January 2004 a wider free trade agreement between all SAARC members was signed and entered into force in 2006.

HISTORY

Sri Lanka's history has reflected its close links with the subcontinent and with South East Asia. The colonial European powers arrived in 1505. The Portuguese, the Dutch and then the British ruled Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka (or Ceylon, as it was then known) gained independence from Britain in February 1948.

Recent Political History

Following independence from Britain in February 1948, the political scene has been dominated by two parties: the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), which is now part of the People’s Alliance (PA). The SLFP was founded by S W R D Banadaranaike, who was Prime Minister until he was assassinated in 1959 by a Buddhist extremist. His widow, Sirimavo Banadaranaike, became leader of the SLFP and served as both Prime Minister and leader of the opposition.

A republican constitution was adopted in 1972 and the ruling coalition, led by Sirimavo Banadaranaike, gave itself an extra two years in power. The UNP returned to power in 1978 and adopted a new constitution based on an executive presidency. It introduced for the first time elections based on proportional representation. The UNP's Ranasinghe Premadasa won the presidential election in 1988 and served as President until his assassination in 1993.

By this time the SLFP had become part of the People’s Alliance (PA) coalition headed by Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, daughter of SWRD and Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Mrs Kumaratunga went on to win a landslide victory in elections in November 1994 and 1999 and served as President until November 2005. The PA also won the Parliamentary elections in October 2000. In 2001, less than a year after being re-elected, the PA lost their majority. The United National Front coalition, lead by UNP Ranil Wickremasinghe, won elections with 109 seats and the President’s PA came second with 77 seats, which led to an arrangement of political cohabitation between two rival parties, with the PA’s leader as President and the UNP’s leader as Prime Minister.

In November 2003, President Kumaratunga sacked three key ministers taking over their portfolios (including defence) and declared a state of emergency (which was lifted a few days later). This was done on the grounds of national security, and the actions were within her Constitutional powers. No agreement on working arrangements was reached between the President and Prime Minister, and in January 2004, the SLFP signed an alliance with the JVP forming the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA).

In February 2004, the then President dissolved Parliament and called general elections in April. The elections in April 2004 produced a new political order with the victory of the UPFA (SLFP and JVP alliance). Support for the traditional parties dropped, and smaller parties - JVP, TNA and JHU gained significant numbers of seats. The UPFA formed a minority government. In September 2004, the Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC – representing Indian-origin Tamils) with 8 seats joined the government giving it a small majority. In June 2005 the JVP left the Government after the President’s decision to sign a post-tsunami funding arrangement with the LTTE.

Latest Political Developments

In November 2005, Mahinda Rajapakse (SLFP) was elected President with 50.3% of the vote. The LTTE enforced a boycott of the poll in Tamil areas under their control or which they strongly influence. This resulted in extremely low voter participation in the north and east of the country. Ranil Wickremesinghe, UNP Presidential candidate and Leader of the Opposition took 48.4%. In January 2007, a number of UNP members joined the government team giving it a parliamentary majority. A cabinet reshuffle followed. Throughout 2008 and 2009 the UPFA won a series of victories in Provincial Council elections.  

Early Presidential elections took place in January 2010. President Rajapakse's main challenger was the former Sri Lankan Army General Sarath Fonseka, who was supported by a number of opposition parties including the UNP, JVP, TNA. Both candidates' campaigns focussed on their respective roles in the military defeat of the LTTE in May 2009. On 27 January 2010, the Sri Lankan Election Commissioiner announced that President Rajapakse had won the presidential election with 58% of the vote. Independent election monitors expressed broad satisfaction with the conduct of the poll on election day, which attracted a 70% turnout, but highlighted a number of concerns about campaign conduct, including the high incidence of pre-election violence. General Fonseka announced that he planned to contest the result in court.

Parliamentary elections are due by May 2010.

UK/SRI LANKA RELATIONS

Bilateral relations are good. David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, visited Sri Lanka with Bernard Kouchner, French Foreign Minister, in April 2009.  Mike Foster, Minister of State at DFID also visited in April and October 2009.  Lord Malloch-Brown, then Minister of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, visited Sri Lanka in July 2008.

The Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, Rohitha Bogollagama visited the UK in March 2007, meeting the then Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett and Gareth Thomas, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for International Development. He returned to the UK in April 2008 and June 2009 when he met the Foreign Secretary. President Rajapakse met the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for International Development Douglas Alexander in the margins of the UN General Assembly in September 2008.

In February 2009 Prime Minister Gordon Brown appointed former Cabinet Minister Des Browne as his Special Envoy for Sri Lanka. He visited Sri Lankan in May 2009 as part of a cross-party group of parliamentarians, along with John Bercow, Malcolm Bruce, Eddie McGrady and Mohammed Sarwar.

There are approximately 300,000 Sri Lankans settled in Britain, equally divided between Sinhalese and Tamils.

UK DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

Since September 2008 the UK has committed £12.5 million of humanitarian aid for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) affected by the fighting in northern Sri Lanka.  All funds are channelled through impartial humanitarian agencies, such as the United Nations (UN) and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).  Until the conflict ended in May 2009 the funds were chiefly used to underwrite the efforts of key humanitarian agencies to provide emergency assistance to civilians in the former conflict area.  Following the end of the war, the focus shifted towards supporting the humanitarian effort in the IDP camps in Vavuniya and supporting the early return of the displaced civilians to their homes. Remaining funds are being used to support demining, the returns process and livelihood recovery activities. For more information on the UK’s humanitarian response, see the Department for International Development’s (DFID) webpage: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/srilankacrisis

Our interest in helping to support a lasting resolution to the Sri Lankan conflict led the UK, along with other donor countries, to focus efforts on strengthening incentives for peace and reconciliation. These initiatives include:

  • Encouraging key donors to adopt conflict sensitive approaches; reducing communal tensions through greater adherence to human rights standards;
  • supporting greater preparedness for achieving a political solution to the conflict and post-conflict recovery and reconstruction;
  • strengthening civil society to contribute more effectively to reconciliation;
  • helping to make national and state institutions more accountable and enabled to support the peace process;
  • improving the livelihood and security of those affected by conflict.


Sri Lanka is a middle income country with approximately 1 million people (6%) of the population living in poverty. The major cause of poverty and inequality has been the long running conflict. Future progress on poverty reduction to address the inequalities in the population in Sri Lanka is dependent on achieving lasting peace. DFID, working with the World Bank and Government of Sri Lanka, has contributed to the development of a National Education Sector Strategy aimed at maximising the role of education in social inclusion and peace building.

Following the tsunami on 26 December 2004, the UK Government committed £75 million for immediate relief and recovery in the affected area, including Sri Lanka. At the end of March 2005 DFID announced a further £65 million for longer term reconstruction and rehabilitation activities in the area. The UK response to the tsunami relief effort was channelled through United Nations agencies, the Red Cross movement, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) as well as direct inventions aimed at addressing urgent requirements. The UK also supported the United Nations’ assessment, information dissemination and coordination role. UK aid contributed to projects to improve the health of the affected population, improve the provision of water and sanitation, trace missing persons, distribute food, provide shelter, fund mental health and psycho-social support and restore livelihoods. 

Cultural Relations with the UK


The British Council has English Teaching Centres in Colombo (one of the fastest growing in the network with well over 3000 students) and Kandy, and is involved in English language projects throughout the island. It also runs busy libraries at the teaching centres, and maintains a lively arts programme.

The Council runs an education information service that offers detailed information on all aspects of the British education system, and administers exams in Colombo and Kandy.

In Sri Lanka the Council also works closely with the Ministry of Education on its education reform agenda, particularly at Primary level.


GEOGRAPHY

Sri Lanka is about half the size of England and lies close to the southern tip of India and near the equator. From the coast, the land rises to a central massif more than 1500 m above sea level. The climate is hot and humid - monsoon from May to September and the north-east monsoon from November to March: rainfall, particularly in the south-west, is heavy.

Sri Lanka was severely affected by the tsunami on 26 December 2004, which killed some 40,000 people and displaced 400 – 500 thousand people along two thirds of the north-east, south and south-west coastline. Half the fishing fleet was destroyed, and a quarter of hotels in the affected areas sustained serious damage

Trade and Investment with the UK


The UK exported £122 million worth of goods to Sri Lanka in 2007. Gold products, sugar and paper accounted for over a quarter of this. The UK is the ninth largest exporter to Sri Lanka, and Sri Lanka is the UK’s 88th largest export market. 2008 exports from Sri Lanka to the UK were worth around £652m and dominated by the textiles and apparel industry. In 2008, Sri Lanka welcomed around 80,000 tourists from the UK, the largest European contingent and second only to India globally. Tourist arrivals were down some 11% on average from 2007.

Trade and Investment with the UK

In 2007 UK exports to Sri Lanka were over $300m. The UK is the ninth largest exporter to the country.  UK imports from Sri Lanka increased to almost $900m in 2007. Tourist arrivals have been affected by the conflict in recent years but visitors from the UK, at 100,000, remained the second highest of all nationalities after Indian visitors.

POLITICS

The Internal Conflict

The ethnic conflict between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) lasted over 25 years and appears to have come to an end with the military defeat of the LTTE in May 2009. Over 70,000 people are estimated to have been killed and some one million displaced.

The roots of the conflict lie in the deterioration of relations between the Tamil and Sinhalese communities from the 1950s. By the late 1970s a number of armed groups were operating in the north and east of the island. In 1983 there were serious anti-Tamil riots in Colombo resulting in the lynching and killing of some 2000 Tamils. Some Ministers in the Government of Sri Lanka were implicated in the event. Many Tamils returned to traditional Tamil areas in the North and many others began to seek asylum abroad.

One of the highest profile violent acts was the assassination of the Mayor of Jaffna in 1975 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran who later became established as the leader of the LTTE.

In mid 1987 when a Government of Sri Lanka embargo of Jaffna began to result in severe hardship, the Government of India, pushed by public opinion in Tamil Nadu, forced the Sri Lankan Government to sign the Indo-Sri Lankan Accord This provided for an Indian peacekeeping Force (IPKF) in the North and East. However relations between the IPKF and the LTTE broke down and there was heavy fighting and reports of human rights violations on both sides. President Premadasa negotiated the IPKF's withdrawal, which was completed in March 1990.

During 1988, in part against the India intervention, unrest among the Sinhalese community grew into a violent insurgency by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and a counter-terrorist campaign. The rebellion ended in 1989 after JVP leaders were murdered. The Sri Lankan army undertook a ruthless counter-insurgency campaign and tens of thousands were killed.

There followed a period of relative peace before the situation in the North and East deteriorated in June 1990. After 18 months, negotiations fell apart and the LTTE again resorted to violence. They extended their control until they held the Tamil heartland: the Jaffna Peninsula and large areas of the North and East. The security forces succeeded in winning back most of the East, but the North remained outside their control.

Hundreds of people have been killed and injured in terrorist attacks relating to the conflict. Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in southern India in May 1991. President Premadasa was assassinated in May 1993.

The Conflict Since 1995


In July 1995, the Sri Lankan army launched a military operation, culminating in the fall of Jaffna in December 1995 to Government forces. At the end of January 1996 the LTTE began a bombing campaign in Colombo (see Terrorist Attacks below).

During 1996, the Sri Lankan army secured enough of the Jaffna Peninsula to allow the civilian population to return to Jaffna town. The LTTE reasserted themselves in the Eastern province and infiltrated back into the Jaffna Peninsula. LTTE inspired terrorist attacks continued in the south, including on the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, the most sacred Buddhist site in Sri Lanka.

In March 1999 the Sri Lankan Army launched two major offensives in the Vanni and captured over 800 sq kms of territory from the LTTE. Fighting in the North intensified in late 1999 and the Vanni (jungle areas in the North) fell to the LTTE after some of the fiercest fighting since the conflict began. In April 2000 the LTTE carried out a major assault which led to the withdrawal of Sri Lankan troops from Elephant Pass (which links the Jaffna peninsula to the rest of Sri Lanka). With control of Elephant Pass, the LTTE continued further attacks into the Jaffna Peninsula. Fighting continued until December 2001 when the announcement of a new ceasefire by the LTTE was reciprocated by the newly elected UNF government. A Ceasefire Agreement was signed in February 2002 by the government and LTTE.

In April 2004, the LTTE’s eastern commander, Karuna and a group broke away form the LTTE. He complained that the LTTE leadership did not sufficiently look after the interests of those in the east of the country. The Karuna group aligned themselves to the Government and fought against the LTTE in the East.

Recent Developments


After President Rajapakse came to power in November 2005, there was an initial period of violence and short lived talks between the LTTE and the Government in December 2005 and January 2006.  Large-scale violence resumed in April 2006. Talks were eventually held in Geneva in October 2006, but were inconclusive. In January 2008 the Government of Sri Lanka abrogated the Ceasefire Agreement.

In the period January – May 2009 the Government of Sri Lanka captured the last remaining LTTE strongholds in Northern Sri Lanka. In May 2009 the Government of Sri Lanka announced that it had captured all land previously held by the LTTE and that all senior LTTE leaders, including Prabhakaran, had been killed in the final stages of the battle.  


Towards the end of the fighting high numbers of civilians are believed to have been killed and injured as a result of being caught in the middle of heavy fighting.  There was no independent access to the conflict zone and international concern has been raised about the conduct of hostilities by both sides in the final months of the conflict.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians were displaced as a result of the recent fighting and detained in IDP camps in northern Sri Lanka.  International attention has focused on improving conditions for them and for other longer-term displaced civilians, and supporting the Government to return IDPs to their areas of origin. For more information on the UK’s humanitarian response, see: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/srilankacrisis

HUMAN RIGHTS

Sri Lanka is a signatory to all six core human rights instruments.

The Sri Lankan government has taken steps to improve its very poor human rights record of the 1980’s and 1990’s. Significant improvements have been made, but problems do remain. There are continuing reports of serious human rights abuses including assassinations of political opponents, abductions, torture in custody, extortion, the recruitment and/or use of child soldiers in violation of applicable international law. There have also been incidents of attacks on religious minorities.  The perpetrators of the most serious human rights abuses are rarely identified or prosecuted, creating a culture of impunity.

In autumn 2006 President Rajapakse announced the establishment of a special Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the most egregious allegations of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka over the preceding 12 months. The President mandated that a parallel group, the Independent International Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP), should also be created with a remit to oversee the work of the CoI and ensure compliance with international norms. The IIGEP withdrew from Sri Lanka in 2008, citing a lack of co-operation from the Government.   The CoI has now submitted its final report to the President, which set out the results of its investigations into just over half of the cases assigned to it.  There has not yet been any follow up.

In October 2008, the European Commission launched an investigation into Sri Lanka’s implementation of three UN conventions. GSP+ is an EU incentive scheme for vulnerable countries that adhere to human rights conventions, labour rights, environment and good governance. The European Commission released its report in October 2009, which highlighted failings in Sri Lanka's implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and the Convention on the Rights of the Chile. On 15 December 2009, the European Commission released its formal proposal recommending the withdrawal of GSP+ benefits from Sri Lanka. The EU is expected to vote on whether Sri Lanka should continue to benefit from the GSP+ scheme on 15 February 2010.

On 27 October 2009, the EU expressed its concern about reports of severe harassment of journalists, restrictions on freedom of the press and freedom of expression in Sri Lanka.

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