Sri Lanka

The victory of the 55-year-old leader of a Marxist-leaning party breaks with the country’s “dynastic” politics, reflecting the demands of the Aragalaya movement that ousted the Rajapaksas. During the election campaign, the new president pledged to review the austerity policy imposed by the International Monetary Fund, but also reopen the investigation into the Easter 2019 attacks. Both India and China reacted to the outcome of the vote.

They are the outgoing president Ranil Wickremesinghe, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake, head of a left-wing alliance, who is seen as the favourite. At 12 noon, 30% of the eligible voters had voted. The majority of voters, 17 million in all, expressed concern about the economy.

The UN-backed World Restoration Flagship project seeks to restore 10,000 hectares by 2030. Coastal forests are vital to protect the country from natural disasters such as storm surges and tsunamis, playing a crucial role in resisting climate change. For environmentalists Dissanayake and Semasinghe, mangroves also provide “sustainable livelihoods for rural communities.”

A number of complaints have been made about the use of minors in propaganda for the 21 September vote. A worrying phenomenon in a country already plagued by serious problems on issues such as child abuse. Sr. Deepa Fernando: ‘Sri Lanka does not have a national framework for child protection: more attention and assistance is needed’.

The introduction of a new and complex visa system is forcing tourists at Colombo airport to wait two and a half hours before they can enter the country. With a petition to the Supreme Court and an imminent strike, operators are calling for a return to the old online system, stressing that too much red tape risks compromising the season and the post-pandemic economic recovery.

In the run-up to the 21 September vote, the Sri Lanka Bishops' Conference (CBCSL) and the National Christian Council in Sri Lanka (NCCSL) are calling for a “wise and courageous” leader. To the 38 candidates the request not to delude with favours or false promises and the warning: ‘Serve, don't be served’. The importance of the vote, which is ‘precious’ and should not be wasted with a boycott or a void ballot.

In Iyankarni, a village in the Eastern Province, the civil war destroyed lives and relations between Muslims and Tamils. Now, thanks to an organic farming project promoted by Caritas Batticaloa, the two communities are working together to rebuild their lives. For the charity’s director, Fr Samson Jayanixon, “healing people and building harmony between them are the core of religions.”

The country's most marginalised peoples continue to struggle for recognition. Despite the UN call in 1996 and the 2007 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, governments have failed to provide a legal and policy framework to protect this community. The establishment of the Maduru Oya National Park has devastated their habitat, forcing them to give up millennia-old traditions and a self-sufficient life maintained for generations.

The number of container ships calling in July dropped by 17.8% compared to 2023. The lower costs of India's competitor and the critical situation in the Red Sea, the scene of Houthi attacks on cargo ships with repercussions on routes and costs, weighed heavily. On the contrary, container volumes between the main global hubs are growing.

The celebration presided over by Card. Ranjith together with the Archbishop of Goa, Card. Filipe Neri Ferrao. From Pope Francis a message of closeness to the sick and pilgrims: I invoke upon you the gift of courage and perseverance. Buddhists, Muslims and Hindus also recount the graces received from the Virgin.

The number of women seeking work abroad continues to rise: from 40 percent in the pre-pandemic period to 46 percent in 2023. The main destination remains the Middle East, where they find employment mainly as domestic workers. The government is trying to reverse this trend, but still more than a thousand choose to expatriate every month.

Nominations have been finalized for the Sept. 21 vote, the first since the revolt two years ago that led to the ouster of Gotabaya Rajapaksa swept away by the economic crisis. The economist who will lead the country from 2022 presents himself as an “independent.” Opposition leaders are against him, while the old dynasty is running the former president's grandson. Transparency opens website to collect complaints about abuse of public resources in election campaign.