Sri Lanka

The container ship that sank in 2021 off the coast of Sri Lanka caused one of the worst environmental disasters in the country's history. The Supreme Court ordered the company that owned it to pay compensation. The court also ruled that the authorities, including former State Minister Nalaka Godahewa, failed to take adequate measures to prevent the tragedy.

The word ‘Bhikkuni’ will appear on identity cards, allowing female religious figures in Sri Lanka to enjoy a range of civil rights. According to the Supreme Court, refusing to use the title in documents violated constitutional rights. This is the first time that the formal existence of the female community ordained in the Buddhist Sangha, which numbers thousands of women in Sri Lanka, has been recognised.

Dissanayake's secretary, Dr Kumanayake, has tasked officials with presenting a proposal. The instructions are part of the Prajashakthi government programme for the equitable distribution of benefits in society. Autism (DSA) is increasingly recognised in Sri Lanka. The Ayati Trust centre in Ragama has reached 14,000 children with disabilities in five years.

Sri Lankan President Dissanayake attended the ceremony for the 50th anniversary of the priesthood of the archbishop of the capital, ordained in 1975 by Pope Paul VI. In recent years, the cardinal has been a voice for the truth about the attacks that struck churches on Easter Sunday. ‘The country needs a new beginning. Let us work to protect religious and cultural values and the harmony of the country.’

A special university course has been launched in collaboration with the Swami Vivekanda Cultural Centre. The first distance learning course in the Indian lingua franca was launched in January. The High Commissioner of Delhi for Sri Lanka: ‘A bridge of understanding and communication between our countries’.

The largest foreign investment in the history of Sri Lanka has been on hold since the start of the year. Differences between the government over local market share have stopped the Sinopec project in Hambantota. The economic recovery plan has raised fears that it will damage the country’s oil sector and energy security.

The government ban comes into force tomorrow. Children under 16 are banned from begging, street trading and domestic work, while dangerous work is off-limits to those aged 16 to 18. Minister Jayatissa cites the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children are 30 per cent of the Sri Lankan population. Poverty, migration and poor education are the main causes of exploitation.

In recent days, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, visited the island. Meetings were held with religious leaders, politicians and civil society figures. The issue of internal ‘accountability’ and the creation of an independent prosecutor to shed light on past abuses. The story of over a hundred Rohingya adrift off the north coast.

The HALO Trust has completed demining in a large area of ​​Sri Lanka’s Northern Province, which was fought over by Sri Lanka’s army and the Tamil Tigers for years. The local population was fundamental in removing the mines. Now locals will be able to get back the lands that had been taken from them during the long civil war.

Faced with tensions in the Middle East, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation is exploring the possibility of sourcing African crude, while Russia has also come forward. Meanwhile, a decline in agricultural production is pushing up food prices again.

The Middle East accounts for 25% of total tea exports. And 60% of private remittances come from the 1.5 million migrants working in the region. A 5% drop in orders could cost up to $75 million a year. Attention is focused on the Strait of Hormuz for possible blockades by Tehran.

Illegal sand mining, mineral extraction, and large wind power plants are perceived as a danger to the delicate biodiversity of the island. Many do not see these projects as development, but rather as causing even greater damage than war.