- scmp 9feb2020 "countries that changed their names" ceilao (tilde above a, used in breton (an) and vietnam (nga)) was former name of ceylon
Government
- ministry of agriculture
- ministry of economic development
- ministry of industry and commerce
- Ministry of Fisheries & Aquatic Resources Development Sri Lanka
- Sri Lanka Export Development Board
- sri lanka tourism
- board of investment sri lanka
Adam's Peak (Sinhalese: Sri Pada or "Sri Paadaya" (ශ්රී පාදය) and Samanalakanda, සමනළ කන්ද; Lit. "Butterfly Mountain"; Tamil: சிவனொளி பாதமலை, Sivanolipatha Malai; Arabic: Al-Rohun) is a 2,243 m (7,359 ft) tall conical mountain located in central Sri Lanka. It is well known for the Sri Pada, i.e., "sacred footprint", a 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) rock formation near the summit, which in Buddhist tradition is held to be the footprint of the Buddha, in Hindu tradition that of Shiva and in Islamic and Christian tradition that of Adam, or that of St. Thomas. The often used Sri Pada is derived from Sanskrit, used by the Sinhalese people in a religious context; this name also has meaning in Pāli, and may be translated roughly as "the sacred foot". It refers to the footprint-shaped mark at the summit, which is believed by Buddhists to be that of the Buddha. Christian and Islamic traditions assert that it is the footprint of Adam, left when first setting foot on Earth after having been cast out of paradise, giving it the name "Adam's Peak".[citation needed] Hindu tradition refers to the footprint as that of the Hindu deity Shiva, and thus names the mountain Shiva padam (Shiva's foot) in Tamil. Tamils may also use the name Shivanolipatha Malai to refer to the mountain. Another Sinhala name for the mountain is Samanalakanda, which refers either to the deity Saman, who is said to live upon the mountain, or to the butterflies (samanalayā) that frequent the mountain during their annual migrations to the region. The name Sri Paada, however, is the more commonly used. Other local and historic names include Ratnagiri ("jewelled hill"), Samantakuta ("Peak of Saman"), Svargarohanam ("the climb to heaven"), Mount Rohana and other variations on the root Rohana.
Dondra (Sinhala: දෙවිනුවර, romanized: Devinuvara, Tamil: தேவேந்திரமுனை, romanized: Tēvēntiramuṉai) is a settlement on the extreme southernmost tip of Sri Lanka, in the Indian Ocean near Matara, Southern Province, Sri Lanka. The Dondra Head Lighthouse, ruins of several Hindu shrines of Tenavaram and a Vihara (Buddhist temple) are located in the vicinity.Dondra is an corrupted form of Theivanthurai (God's Port) of Tamil origin. The place is mentioned in the Culavamsa.Historically known as Devinuwara temple port town or Devinuwara temple town, Dondra was until the late 16th century a historic temple port town complex. A multi-religious site, its primary deity was the Buddhist god Upulvan and at its zenith was one of the most celebrated religious sites of the island, containing a thousand statues of the various sects of Hinduism and Buddhism.[2] Dating from the period of Dappula I, it was maintained primarily by Sinhalese kings and merchant guilds at the port town during its time as a popular pilgrimage destination and famed emporium, having extensive contacts with Asia, Africa, Europe and the Malabar Coast. The temple was built on vaulted arches on the promontory overlooking the Indian ocean.[3][4] Patronized by various Sinhalese and Tamil royal dynasties and pilgrims, Tenavaram templebecame one of the most important places of worship. Built to the Chera style of classical Dravidian architecture, it covered a vast area housing shrines to many Hindu deities including Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. Its rediscovered statue images and ruins from the 5th-7th century CE reflect the high points of Pallava art.The temple was destroyed in February 1587 by the Portuguese colonial De Sousa d'Arronches, who devastated the entire southern coast.[2][8] Its ruins of granite pillars that formed the shrines' mandapa can be found in the town spread over a considerable area. Much of the temple's stonework was thrown off the cliff into the sea. The temple's ancient Lingam statue and sculpture of Nandi, excavated in 1998 provide early examples of Pallava Hindu contributions to the island. The rebuilt temple to Vishnu and the Vihara still attracts pilgrims today and in the month of Esala (July–August) the Dondra Fair and Perahara is held for eight days. Dondra was once the capital of the Sri Lanka.
Jaffna (Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாணம் Yāḻppāṇam, Sinhalese: යාපනය Yāpanaya) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th largest city.[1] Jaffna is approximately six miles (9.7 kilometres) from Kandarodai which served as an emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical antiquity. Jaffna's suburb Nallur served as the capital of the four-century-long medieval Jaffna kingdom. Prior to the Sri Lankan civil war, it was Sri Lanka's second most populated city after the commercial capital Colombo. The 1980s insurgent uprising led to extensive damage, expulsion of part of the population, and military occupation. Since the end of civil war in 2009, refugees and internally displaced people have started to return to their homes and government and private sector reconstruction has begun. Historically, Jaffna has been a contested city. It was made into a colonial port town during the Portuguese occupation of the Jaffna peninsula in 1619 who lost it to the Dutch, only to lose it to the British in 1796. And during the post-Independence civil war the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) occupied Jaffna in 1986. The Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) briefly occupied the city in 1987. The LTTE again occupied the city from 1989 until 1995, when the Sri Lankan military regained control. The majority of the city’s population are Sri Lankan Tamils with a significant number of Sri Lankan Moors, Indian Tamils and other ethnic groups present in the city prior to the civil war. Most Sri Lankan Tamils are Hindus followed by Christians, Muslims and a small Buddhist minority. The city is home to number of educational institutions established during the colonial and post-colonial period. It also has number of commercial institutions, minor industrial units, banks, hotels and other government institutions. It is home to many historical sites such as the popular Jaffna library that was burnt down and rebuilt and the Jaffna fort rebuilt during the Dutch colonial period.
- Jaffna is known in Tamil as Yalpanam. The origin of the name can be traced to a legend about the town's etymology. A King was visited by the blind Panan musician, who was an expert in vocal music and one skilled in the use of instrument called Yal. The King who was delighted to the music played with the Yal by the Panan, presented him a sandy plain. The Panan returned to India and introduced some members of his tribe as impecunious as himself to accompany to this land of promise, and it is surmised that their place of settlement was that part of the city which is known at present as Passaiyoor and Gurunagar. The Columbuththurai Commercial Harbor situated at Colombuthurai and the Harbour known as ‘Aluppanthy’ situated previously at the Gurunagar area seem as its evidences. Jaffna is a corrupted version of Yalpanam. The colloquial form of Yalpanam is Yappanam. he Ya and Ja including pp and ff are easily interchangeable. As soon as it went into foreign language, it lost the Tamil ending m and consequently stood as Jaffna.
- Nainativu (Tamil: நயினாதீவு Nainatheevu, Sinhalese: නාගදීපය Nagadeepa), is a small but notable island off the coast of Jaffna Peninsula in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The name of the island alludes to the folklore inhabitants, the Naga people. It is home to the Hindu shrine of Nagapooshani Amman Temple; one of the prominent 64 Shakti Peethas, and the Buddhist shrine Nagadeepa Vihare. Historians note the island is mentioned in the ancient Tamil Sangam literature of nearby Tamil Nadu such as Manimekalai where it was mentioned asManipallavam (Tamil: மணிபல்லவம்), and ancient Buddhist legends of Sri Lanka such as Mahavamsa. Ptolemy, a Greek cartographer, describes the Tamil territory including islands around the Jaffna peninsula as Nagadibois in the first century CE.
- Nainativu (Tamil: நயினாதீவு Nainatheevu, Sinhalese: නාගදීපය Nagadeepa), is a small but notable island off the coast of Jaffna Peninsula in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The name of the island alludes to the folklore inhabitants, the Naga people. It is home to the Hindu shrine of Nagapooshani Amman Temple; one of the prominent 64 Shakti Peethas, and the Buddhist shrine Nagadeepa Vihare. Historians note the island is mentioned in the ancient Tamil Sangam literature of nearby Tamil Nadu such as Manimekalai where it was mentioned asManipallavam (Tamil: மணிபல்லவம்), and ancient Buddhist legends of Sri Lanka such as Mahavamsa. Ptolemy, a Greek cartographer, describes the Tamil territory including islands around the Jaffna peninsula as Nagadibois in the first century CE.
Hambantota (Sinhalese: හම්බන්තොට, Tamil: அம்பாந்தோட்டை) is the main town in Hambantota District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka. This underdeveloped area was hit hard by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and is undergoing a number of major development projects including the construction of a new sea port and international airport finished in 2013. When the Kingdom of Ruhuna was established it received many travellers and traders from Siam, China and Indonesia who sought anchorage in the natural harbor at Godawaya, Ambalantota. The ships or large boats these traders travelled in were called “Sampans” and "thota" means port or anchorage so the port where sampans anchor came to be known as “Sampantota” (which is now known as Godawaya). After some time the area became to be called “Hambantota”. Hambantota District is part of the traditional south known as Ruhuna. In ancient times this region, especially Hambantota and the neighboring areas was the centre of a flourishing civilization. Historical evidence reveals that the region in that era was blessed with fertile fields and a stupendous irrigation network. Hambantota was known by many names ‘Mahagama’, ‘Ruhuna’ and ‘Dolos dahas rata’. About 200 BC, the first Kingdom of Sri Lanka was flourishing in the north central region of Anuradhapura. After a personal dispute with his brother, King Devanampiyatissa of Anuradhapura, King Mahanaga established the Kingdom of Ruhuna in the south of the island. This region played a vital role in building the nation as well as nurturing the Sri Lankan Buddhist culture. Close to Hambantota, the large temple of Tissamaharama was built to house a sacred tooth relic.
- Leonard Woolf, future husband of Virginia Woolf, was the British colonial administrator at Hambantota between 1908 and 1911.
- The Sri Lankan government says more troops have been deployed to the central district of Kandy, to try to end days of violence against Muslims. Police used tear gas to disperse Buddhist rioters who have attacked mosques and Muslim-owned businesses. They are defying a curfew imposed after a Buddhist youth died during an altercation with a group of Muslims. A state of emergency has been imposed and the curfew extended, and authorities are blocking social media. The authorities had feared retaliation after a young Muslim man's body was found in a burnt-out building in Kandy on Tuesday. Fresh clashes between mobs from the majority Sinhalese and minority Muslim communities erupted in several areas overnight, and a number of properties were set on fire. On Wednesday, there were reports that a Sinhalese man had died when a hand grenade he was carrying went off in a Kandy district. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43305453
- Hewaheta is a village in Sri Lanka.
- The Loolecondera estate was the first tea plantation estate in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) started in 1867 by Scotsman James Taylor, he spent most of his life in Loolecondera until his death in 1892. The authorities of Sri Lanka built a museum at Loolecondera in 1992 to commemorate him. Loolecondera is the way Britishers spelled the native name Lool kandura. ලූල් කඳුර in Sinhala . Loolkandura means the Stream full of Loola fish. (Channa striata)
Ratnapura (Sinhalese: රත්නපුර; Tamil:இரத்தினபுரி) ("City of Gems" in Sinhalaand Tamil) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka and the Ratnapura District. The name 'Ratnapura' is a direct Sanskrit word meaning City (from the Sanskrit word 'Pura') of Gems (from the Sanskrit word 'Ratna') over 2000 years ago when the first Buddhist monks arrived here from the north eastern provinces of India namely Bodh-Gaya, Varanasi and Pataliputra they not only did bring with them the Buddhist religion but since their teachings were mainly in Sanskrit and Pali they also influenced the local language, the palm candy produced traditionally in this region, but the more common explanation in Sri Lanka is that it comes from the Sinhala "ratna" meaning gems and "pura" meaning city.[1]
Udagamandalam (also Ootacamund and abbreviated as Udhagai and Ooty is a town and municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Originally occupied by the Toda, the area came under the rule of the East India Company at the end of the 18th century. The economy is based on tourism and agriculture, along with the manufacture of medicines and photographic film.The origin of the name Udagamandalam is obscure. The first known written mention of the place is given as Wotokymund in a letter of March 1821 to the Madras Gazette from an unknown correspondent.[5] In early times it was called OttakalMandu. "Mund" is the Anglicised form of the Toda word for a village 'Mandu'.[6] The first part of the name is probably a corruption of the local name for the central region of the Nilgiri Plateau. The stem of the name (Ootaca) comes from the local language in which Otha-Cal literally means Single Stone. This is perhaps a reference to a sacred stone revered by the local Toda people. The name probably changed under British rules to Udagamandalam from Ootacamund, and later was shortened to Ooty. Ooty is situated in the Nilgiri hills. The name meaning blue mountains in Tamil and most other Indian languages might have arisen from the blue smoky haze given off by the eucalyptus trees that cover the area or from the Kurunji flower, which blooms every twelve years and gives the slopes a bluish tinge. Because of the mountains and green valleys, Ooty became known as the Queen of Hill Stations.
- Udagamandalam was originally a tribal land occupied by the Toda along with other hill tribes who coexisted through specialisation and trade. The major tribes ofNilgiris area are the Toda, Baduga, Kota, Irula and Kurumba. The old Tamil work Silappadikaram states that the Chera kingSenguttuvan, who ruled during the 2nd century CE, on his way to the Himalayas in the north, stayed in the Nilgiris and witnessed the dance of the Kannadigas. The Toda in the Nilgiris are first referenced in a record belonging to Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana and his general Punisa, dated 1117 CE. The Toda people were known for raising water buffalo. The Tamil and Badaga people known for farming activities. Nilgiris was ruled by various dynasties like Satavahanas,Cheras, Gangas, Kadambas, Rashtrakutas, Cholas, Hoysalas, the Vijayanagara empire and the Rajas of Ummattur (on behalf of Wodeyars of Mysuru). Tipu Sultan captured Nilgiris in the eighteenth century and extended the border by constructing a hideout cave like structure.[10] The Nilgiris came into possession of British East India Company as part of the ceded lands, held by Tipu Sultan, by the treaty of Srirangapatnam in 1799.
- The Franciscan Missionaries of Mary are a Roman Catholic religious institute founded by Mother Mary of the Passion (born Hélène de Chappotin de Neuville, 1839–1904) at Ootacamund, then British India, in 1877. The Missionaries form an international religious congregation of women representing 78 nationalities spread over 77 countries on five continents.The work of the Franciscan Missionaries quickly spread to other countries, including China. It was there, in 1900, that 7 Franciscan Missionaries of Mary were murdered during the Boxer Rebellion, in which missionaries throughout that country were killed. These Sisters were canonized in A.D. 2000 as among the Martyrs of China.
- St. Rose of Lima's School was founded on 23rd February, 1948 by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. http://home.hksrl.edu.hk/profile/history.htm
Association
- chamber of commerce
- Ceylon chamber of commerce
- national chamber of commerce of sri lanka
- Federation of chamber of commerce and industry sri lanka
- National chamber of exporters of sri lanka
- The International Business Council (IBC) is an incorporated member-based Council, whose members are involved in the exporting, importing and trading of myriad products and/or services. http://www.ibclanka.com/About.html
- hkej 23apr19 shum article
- international water management institute
- joint apparel association forum http://www.srilankaapparel.com
- sri lanka apparel exporters association http://www.srilanka-apparel.com
- sri lanka tea board
- initiated the ceylon tea museum in kandy (supported by planter's association of ceylon, the colombo tea traders association, the tea research institute of sri lanka and the tea small holdings development authority
- buddhism
- The World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) is an international Buddhist organization. Initiated by Gunapala Piyasena Malalasekera, it was founded in 1950 in Colombo, Ceylon by representatives from 27 nations. Although Theravada Buddhists are most influential in the organization, (its headquarters are in Thailand and all of its presidents have been from Sri Lanka or southeast Asia), members of all Buddhist schools are active in the WFB. It now has regional centers in 35 countries, including India, the United States, Australia, and several nations of Africa and Europe, in addition to traditional Buddhist countries.
Company
- Hayleys
- 斯里蘭卡與中國關係密切，擁有逾130年歷史斯里蘭卡大型綜合企業Hayleys，看好亞洲經濟發展可為斯國及公司帶來重大機遇，冀政府制定適當政策，發展為東西方的航綫交滙中心。Hayleys主席兼行政總裁Mohan Pandithage接受本報專訪時表示，斯里蘭卡具備戰略性地理位置，是進入印度門戶的通道，在貿易發展上極具優勢，「政府應該制定更多經濟政策支持貿易港口及貿易業務發展，讓斯里蘭卡成為東西方的航綫交滙中心」。他認為，政府可參考新加坡及杜拜，考慮將科倫坡（Colombo）及漢班斯塔（Hambantota）發展成自由貿易港，連接中國及印度兩大市場，有助鼓勵及吸引更多外商直接投資。Mohan指過去缺乏基建，斯里蘭卡發展受掣肘，但政府已察覺這個問題，並積極本土基建設施改善，同時投入大量資源於教育及培訓，以培育合適人才，藉以提高本土競爭力，讓科倫坡港可應付未來航運市場的挑戰，成為國際性的貿易及物流樞紐中心。據世界航運公會最新統計資料顯示，科倫坡港是南亞最繁忙的港口，2013年貨物處理量為431萬個標準貨櫃（TEU），較印度最大貨櫃港口赫魯港（Jawaharlal Nehru）的413萬TEU更高。hket 9nov15
- Sri Lanka has ordered a corruption investigation at its national carrier, including the controversial termination of a management deal with Emirates airline, the government said Saturday. President Maithripala Sirisena has appointed a five-member panel to investigate the financial transactions of Sri Lankan airlines from 2006 to 2008, when the deal with Emirates was ended, a statement from his office said. Sri Lankan, founded in 1979 as Air Lanka, was profitable until the government of strongman president Mahinda Rajapakse, who ran the country from 2005 to 2015, kicked out the Emirates management team. The deal was cancelled in 2008 after Emirates refused to bump fare-paying business class passengers to give the seats to Rajapakse's family, who were returning to Colombo from London. A furious Rajapakse removed the Emirates-appointed CEO of Sri Lankan from his post and put his brother-in-law, who had no aviation industry experience, in charge of the airline. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5347317/Sri-Lanka-probes-corruption-national-carrier.html
- Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (ANCL), also known as Lake House. It publishes three daily, three weekend, five weekly, two monthly and three annual publications in Sinhala, English and Tamil. Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited is a public limited liability company incorporated in Sri Lanka in 1926 by its founder D. R. Wijewardena. 75% of its shares were Nationalized under the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (Special Provisions) Law No. 28 of 1973 and this stake is held by the Public Trustee of Sri Lanka on behalf of the Government. Lake House is Sri Lanka's oldest publication company. Its Daily News English daily was the first Sri Lankan newspaper to be published on-line.
trade and investment environment
- inward di
- New annual limits have been set with regard to the permissible level of foreign currency-funded overseas investments, with the limit varying depending on the status of the would-be investor. While unlisted companies are allowed to invest up to US$500,000, partnerships are restricted to US$300,000 and individuals are obliged to stay below a US$200,000 upper limit. In the case of companies listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange, they have a substantially higher allocation and can make annual investments of up to US$2 million.
- Sri Lanka’s new government has decided to reduce value-added tax (VAT) to 8% from 15% with effect from Dec. 1, Cabinet Spokesman Bandula Gunawardana said on Wednesday.Gunawardana said the new cabinet, which for the first time on Wednesday, had also decided to abolish some taxes including the 2% nation-building tax imposed to finance development after the long civil war ended, and an economic service charge.https://www.reuters.com/article/sri-lanka-economy/sri-lankas-new-govt-will-almost-halve-vat-cabinet-spokesman-idUSL8N2872LT
people
- Mahinda Rajapaksa[1][2] (Sinhala: මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ, Tamil: மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ; born 18 November 1945[3]) is a Sri Lankan politician serving as Leader of the Opposition since 2018,[4] and has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Kurunegala since 2015. He served as the President of Sri Lanka and Leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party from 2005 to 2015. He became the leader of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna in 2019, splitting the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.Mahinda Rajapaksa was born in Weeraketiya in the southern rural district of Hambantota.[12] He hails from a well-known political family in Sri Lanka. His father, D. A. Rajapaksa, was a prominent politician, independence agitator, Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister of Agriculture and Land in Wijeyananda Dahanayake's government. D. M. Rajapaksa, his uncle, was a State Councillor for Hambantota in the 1930s who started wearing the earthy brown shawl to represent kurakkan(finger millet) cultivated by the people of his area, whose cause he championed throughout his life. It is from his example that Rajapaksa wears his characteristic shawl.
- His Excellency the President, Lieutenant Colonel Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa, RWP, RSP, psc, GR (Sinhala: ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ; Tamil: கோட்டாபய ராஜபக்ஸ; born 20 June 1949) is a Sri Lankan politician, technocrat, military officer, who is the current President of Sri Lanka. He served as Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development from 2005 to 2015 under the administration of his elder brother former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, leading the Sri Lankan Armed Forces to the military defeat of the Tamil tigers, ending the Sri Lankan Civil War.
- Gotabaya Rajapaksa was born in Palatuwa in the Matara District,[citation needed] as the fifth of nine siblings and brought up in Weerakatiya in the southern rural district of Hambantota.[citation needed] According to a writer called Narada Karunthilaka, the name Gotabaya means "Abhaya, the Giant" or "Chinna Kotta" in the Jat language.
- Ranil Wickremesinghe, MP (Sinhalese: රනිල් වික්රමසිංහ, Tamil: ரணில் விக்ரமசிங்க; born 24 March 1949) is a Sri Lankan politician who was the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2015 to 2018 , the Leader of the United National Party since 1994, and a Member of Parliament for Colombo District since 1977. He is also the leader of the United National Front, having been appointed head of the alliance in October 2009. Wickremesinghe also previously served as prime minister from 7 May 1993 to 19 August 1994 and 9 December 2001 to 6 April 2004. He was appointed party leader in November 1994 following the assassination of Gamini Dissanayake during the campaign for the 1994 presidential election.[2] On 8 January 2015, Wickremesinghe was appointed as prime minister by President Maithripala Sirisena, who had defeated President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the 2015 presidential election. Wickremesinghe's coalition alliance, the United National Front for Good Governance, won the 2015 parliamentary election with 106 seats. Although it fell short of an outright majority, Wickremesinghe was re-elected as Prime Minister with over 35 Sri Lanka Freedom Party members joining his cabinet.[4][5] Wickremesinghe was relieved of his duties as Prime Minister effective immediately on 26 October 2018 by President Maithripala Sirisena with the appointment of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.
- Born on 24 March 1949 in Colombo, Wickremasinghe is the second son of Esmond Wickremesinghe and Nalini Wickremesinghe née Wijewardena. His father was an ex-Samasamajist lawyer who became a press baron taking over the Lake House Group of newspapers. His grandfathers were Cyril Wickremesinghe and D. R. Wijewardena. Wickremesinghe was educated at Royal College, Colombo where he was a classmate and friend of Anura Bandaranaike, son of then Prime Minister Solomon Bandaranaikeand Dinesh Gunawardena, son of socialist leader Philip Gunawardena. Wickremasinghe entered the Faculty of Law at the University of Ceylon, Colombo campus (now University of Colombo).
- https://www.ft.com/content/f6544f8e-6770-11e9-a79d-04f350474d62 Inshaf and Ilham Ibrahim were part of the Sri Lankan elite. Sons of a spice tycoon, they spoke fluent English and Ilham’s copper factory on the outskirts of Colombo was thriving. But the two men were living a double life. On Easter Sunday, they were part of the group of suicide bombers who killed more than 250 people — a toll reduced from 359 after the health ministry cited confusion in counting body parts — in a wave of synchronised attacks on churches and luxury hotels. The attacks have raised difficult questions about Sri Lanka’s ability to handle the terrorist threat. Indian intelligence had warned Colombo of an imminent attack in a detailed report, which was followed by increasingly urgent calls. They have also shown once again that even wealthy and prominent members of the community can fall prey to radicalisation. Those involved in the September 11 2001 attacks included well-educated individuals, such as Mohamed Atta.
politics
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/11/sri-lanka-president-dissolves-parliament-deepening-crisis-181109170918447.html Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena has dissolved the country's parliament and declared a snap election on January 5, hours after his coalition admitted that it could not muster enough parliamentary support for its designated prime minister.
- Sri Lankan MPs have brawled on the floor of the country’s parliament, putting one in hospital, in the latest escalation of the political turmoil that has left the country without a prime minister or cabinet. MP Dilum Amunugama was admitted to hospital after the fiery sitting on Thursday morning, which was abandoned after supporters of Mahinda Rajapaksa, the country’s disputed prime minister, rushed at the parliament’s speaker. The speaker, Karu Jayasuriya, was surrounded by MPs loyal to Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was controversially dismissed from the prime ministership a fortnight ago and replaced with Rajapaksa in what his supporters say was a political coup. The men, most dressed in white cotton robes, pushed and jostled each other. Some could be seen throwing punches and one MP hurled a waste paper basket in the speaker’s direction.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/15/shameful-day-sri-lanka-mps-fight-in-parliament-as-power-struggle-deepens
- https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-13/top-sri-lanka-court-rules-against-president-s-snap-election-plan Sri Lanka’s top court ruled against President Maithripala Sirisena’s plan to dissolve the island nation’s parliament and call a new national vote, extending a political crisis that has roiled the island nation since late October. The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled as unconstitutional a presidential notice to dissolve parliament before a period of four-and-a-half years from its first sitting unless the move was endorsed by a two-third majority of parliament. The verdict means Sirisena’s order for parliamentary elections on Jan. 5 is also void.
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-46571195 Mahinda Rajapaksa has resigned as Sri Lanka's prime minister, seven weeks after he was appointed in a surprise move that sparked a political crisis. Mr Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka's former president, signed his resignation letter in a ceremony at his house. Former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe is expected to return to office on Sunday. The resignation could bring to an end a nearly two-month-long power struggle that has dented confidence in Sri Lanka's stability. "Since I have no intention of remaining as prime minister without a general election being held, and in order to not hamper the president in any way, I will resign from the position of prime minister and make way for the president to form a new government," Mr Rajapaksa said in his resignation statement.
- 斯里蘭卡總理維克勒馬辛哈去年十月突然被總統西里塞納革職，至上月方復職。維克勒馬辛哈周四指摘政治危機對經濟造成「致命打擊」，該國本年將有破紀錄的五十九億美元（約四百六十億港元）的外債。他同時派遣財長赴美國，務求恢復被國際貨幣基金組織暫停的貸款安排。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190111/00180_005.html
Financial reform
- http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/91ede7cc-466c-11e5-b3b2-1672f710807b.html Sri Lanka’s incoming government plans to push forward with a range of “big bang” reforms to open up its financial system and liberalise the rupee after triumphing in Monday’s general election, the country’s central bank governor has said. On Wednesday, controversial former President Mahinda Rajapaksa officially conceded defeat following this week’s parliamentary polls, paving the way for his reform-minded rival Ranil Wickremesinghe to return as prime minister of the south Asian island this week.
Tea
- production areas
- Nuwara Eliya (Sinhala: නුවර එළිය [nuwərə ɛlijə]; Tamil: நுவரேலியா), The city name meaning is "city on the plain (table land)" or "city of light". The town from which the district takes its name sits perched on a plateau 1,868 m (6,128 ft) above sea level, under the shadow of Sri Lanka’s highest mountain, Pidurutalagala. Almost inaccessible in olden times due to the precipitous, jungle-clad terrain surrounding it, this scenic plateau was effectively uninhabited when it was discovered by an English explorer in 1818. I mpressed by its magnificent scenery and climate, Sir Edward Barnes, the British governor of the time, resolved to turn the locale into the similar of Ceylon, a fashionable hill-station to which the government and society of the capital, Colombo. The city was founded by Samuel Baker, the discoverer of Lake Albert and the explorer of the Nile in 1846. Nuwara Eliya's climate lent itself to becoming the prime sanctuary of the British civil servants and planters in Ceylon. Nuwara Eliya, called Little England then, was also a hill country retreat where the British colonialists could immerse in their pastimes such as fox hunting, deer hunting, elephant hunting, polo, golf and cricket. (colour of sri lanka tea board pack: orange)
- Uda Pussellawa Wedged between the Kandy and Uva districts on the eastern slopes of the hill country, Uda Pussellawa is a small, thinly-populated district almost entirely dedicated to tea cultivation. It boasts no large towns, and part of its uncultivated area is occupied by the Hakgala Strict Natural Reserve, which rises up the peak of the same name to a height of around 2000m (6,400ft). The region is famous for rare wildlife and exotic plant species; leopard still roam its forested hills, and have even been spotted on its plantations from time to time. The Uda Pussellawa region includes the sub-districts of Maturata, Ragala and Halgranoya. Uda Pussellawa estates thus enjoy not one but two ‘quality seasons’, the western as well as the eastern. This is especially the case with teas from the upper part of the district, bordering Nuwara Eliya (which lies immediately to the west), though elevations in Uda Pussellawa are somewhat lower than they are in Nuwara Eliya, ranging from 950m to 1,600m (3,000-5,000ft). (colour of sri lanka tea board pack: pink)
- Ruhana The Principality of Ruhuna also referred to as the Kingdom of Ruhuna is a region of present day Southern and Eastern Sri Lanka. It was the center of a flourishing civilization and the cultural and economic centers of ancient Sri Lanka. Magama,Tissamaharama and Mahanagakula (now called as Ambalantota), were established here.[1][2]Ruhuna was founded around 200 BC by Prince Mahanaga, brother to Devanampiya Tissa of Anuradhapura, after a personal dispute. This region played a vital role in building the nation as well in the establishment of Buddhist culture.The area identified with Ruhuna in ancient times is mainly the Southern Province, a large part of the Uva Province and small parts of, Sabaragamuwa & Eastern Provinces. (colour of sri lanka tea board pack: black)
- Dimbula - Southwards from Kandy, the central mountains rise in elevation until the plateau of Nuwara Eliya is reached. Beyond, the land descends in a series of peaks and passes before rising again to a second high plateau, known as Horton Plains, from the edge of which it falls precipitously down to the forests of Bintenna thousands of feet below. Between these two high plateau lies the tea-growing district of Dimbula (or, as it is sometimes spelled, Dimbulla). The name is derived from that of the valley which lies at the heart of the region, surrounded by the sub-districts of Bogawanthalawa, Dickoya, Kotagala, Maskeliya, Nanu-Oya and Talawakelle.(colour of sri lanka tea board pack: green)
- Kandy - located in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is the second largest city in the country after Colombo. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka.[1] The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is both an administrative and religious city and is also the capital of the Central Province. Kandy is the home of The Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist world. It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1988. The monumental ensemble of Kandy, rebuilt in the reign of Keerti Sri Rajasimha, is an outstanding example of a traditional type of construction in which the Royal Palace and the Temple of the Tooth of Buddha are juxtaposed. The Temple of the Tooth, the palatial complex, and the sacred city of Kandy are directly and tangibly associated with the history of the spread of Buddhism, one of humanity's great religions. Built to house the relic of the tooth of Buddha, which had come from Kalinga (Orissa State, India) to Sri Lanka during the reign of Sri Meghavanna (310-28), when it was transferred a final time, the Temple of Kandy bears witness to an ever flourishing cult. Kandy, founded in the 14th century, is the southern tip of Sri Lanka's 'Cultural Triangle'. The city became the capital of the kingdom in 1592, during a troubled time when many of the islanders were fleeing to the interior, away from the coastal areas the European powers were fighting over. Although taken several times, the city remained one of the bastions of Sinhalese independence until the British troops entered it on 14 February 1815. From Vimala Dharma Suriya I (1591-1604) to Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe (1798-1815), it was the last seat of royal power. It remains the religious capital of Buddhism and a sacred city for millions of believers. Enshrined in the Dalada Maligawa is the relic of the tooth of Buddha which has long been greatly venerated. The ceremonial high point each year is the splendid ritual of the great processions on the feast of Esala Perahera.(colour of sri lanka tea board pack: purplish blue)
- The Sabaragamuwa Province, (Sinhala: සබරගමුව පළාත Sabaragamuwa Palata, Tamil: சபரகமுவ மாகாணம்Sabaragamuwa Maakaanam) is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka, the first level administrative division of the country. The provinces have existed since the 19th century but did not have any legal status until 1987 when the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka established provincial councils.[2][3] The Sabaragamuwa Province contains two districts: Ratnapura andKegalle. It is named after its former indigenous inhabitants, namely the Sabara, an indic term for hunter gatherer tribes, a term seldom used in ancient Sri Lanka. Sabaragamuwa University is in Belihuloya. (colour of sri lanka tea board pack: orange red)
Casino
- http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1695146/new-sri-lanka-government-blocks-three-casinos-including-one-james-packers Sri Lanka's new government has blocked three casinosapproved by the previous administration
- http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/a859e894-aacc-11e4-91d2-00144feab7de.html Australian billionaire James Packer has finally walked away from controversial plans to open his first casino in Sri Lanka, making the gambling tycoon the most high-profile commercial victim of the south Asian country’s recent change of government. But Mr Packer’s decision last week to scrap the mooted $400m complex also signalled the end of an even bigger gamble by Sri Lanka’s former President Mahinda Rajapaksa — transforming the tropical island nation into a new mega-casino hub fit to rival Asian gambling centres including Macau and Singapore.
national anthem
- A Tamil-language version of Sri Lanka's national anthem was dropped from independence day celebrations Tuesday, with critics saying the move was a setback to reconciliation after years of ethnic civil war.A Tamil-language version was included in the 2016 event as part of a push to heal the wounds of a 37-year war between Tamil separatists and the Sinhalese-majority.But at celebrations Tuesday marking the 72nd anniversary of independence from Britain, the anthem was sung only in Sinhala.https://www.france24.com/en/20200204-tamil-language-anthem-dropped-from-sri-lanka-independence-party
language
- http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21717987-monoglot-officials-are-impeding-post-war-reconciliation-linguistic-slights-spur-ethnic-division
- 斯里兰卡最广泛使用的两种语言是僧加罗语和泰米尔语，其中僧伽罗语是国家官方语言。僧伽罗语起源于印度雅利安语言，经过佛教梵文及巴利文佛经语言演化而成，深受佛教文化影响。与英文字母一样，僧伽罗语以拼音形式构成，包括36个纯字母和表示梵语语音的18个字母。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20170912/PDF/a22_screen.pdf
religious conflict
- https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sri-lanka-clashes/sri-lanka-declares-state-of-emergency-after-buddhist-muslim-clash-idUSKCN1GI0WG Tension has been growing between the two communities in Sri Lanka over the past year, with some hardline Buddhist groups accusing Muslims of forcing people to convert to Islam and vandalizing Buddhist archaeological sites. Some Buddhist nationalists have also protested against the presence in Sri Lanka of Muslim Rohingya asylum-seekers from mostly Buddhist Myanmar, where Buddhist nationalism has also been on the rise.
anglican
- The Church of Ceylon is the Anglican Church in Sri Lanka, as an extra-provincial diocese of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It was established with the appointment of its first Bishop, James Chapman in 1845 as the Bishop of Colombo. Until 1950 it consisted only of the Diocese of Colombo but a second diocese was established at Kurunegala in that year.The first services were held on the island in 1796 and missionaries were sent to Ceylon to begin work in 1818.[2] The Church now has two dioceses, one in Colombo(covering the Western, Southern, Eastern, Northern and Uva provinces and Ratnapura, Nuwara Eliya and Puttalam districts) and the other in Kurunegala (covering Kurunegala, Kandy, Matale and Kegalla, Anuradapura, Polonnaruwa, districts). The Diocese of Colombo was founded in 1845 and the Diocese of Kurunegala in 1950. The Bishop of Calcutta was the Metropolitan Bishop of India and Ceylon from 10 October 1835. In 1930 Ceylon was included in the Church of India, Burma and Ceylon (from 1948 the Church of India, Pakistan, Burma, and Ceylon) until 1970. In 1970, the Church of the Province of Myanmar, the Church of Ceylon and the Church of Pakistan were separated from the CIBC (and the province of Calcutta). There has been movement for the amalgamation of traditional Protestant Churches (including Church of Ceylon, Methodist Church, Lanka Baptist Sangamaya, Salvation Army, Presbyterian Church of Sri Lanka and the Christian Reformed Church of Sri Lanka (formerly the Dutch Reformed Church) and the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India into one body, namely the Church of Sri Lanka.
buddhism
- Weligama Sri Sumangala Thero (1825-1905) was an outstanding scholar bhikkhu with many important publications -Hitopadsesa Atthadassi, Hitopadsesa Padarthavykanaya, Upadesa Vinischaya, Siddanta Sekaraya. His work Siddhanta Sekharaya of 700 pages was printed at the Government Press in 1897. He established Saugathodaya Vidyalaya at Rankoth Viharaya in Panadura. He was a close associate of Sir Edwin Arnold the author of 'Light of Asia'.[2] He is responsible for encouraging Arnold and Anagarika Dharmapala to advocate for the renovation of Buddhagaya and its return to Buddhist care.
- 菩提伽耶（梵文：Buddha-gayā；印地語：बोधगया，Bodh-gayā），又稱佛陀伽耶 Bodh Gaya is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous as it is the place where Gautama Buddha is said to have obtained Enlightenment (Pali: bodhi) under what became known as the Bodhi Tree.
伯格人是指居住於斯里蘭卡的歐洲人，「伯格」一詞源自荷蘭語，意指為市民。Burgher people, also known simply as Burghers, are a small Eurasian ethnic group in Sri Lanka descended from Portuguese, Dutch, British[2][3] and other European men who settled in Sri Lanka[4][5] and developed relationships with native Sri Lankan women.[6] The Portugueseand Dutch had held some of the maritime provinces of the island for centuries before the advent of the British Empire.[7][8][9] With the establishment of Ceylon as a crown colony at the end of the 18th century, most of those who retained close ties with the Netherlands departed. However, a significant community of Burghers remained and largely adopted the English language.[8] During British rule they occupied a highly important place in Sri Lankan social and economic life.Portuguese settlers on Ceylon were essentially traders, but wished to form colonies, and Lisbon did nothing to discourage European settlement—even to the extent of advocating intermarriage with the Sinhalese. This was not encouraged by the Sinhalese. It was not the policy of the Dutch East India Company to endorse similar unions, although a number of unofficial liaisons between its employees and local women occurred in the late eighteenth century.Burghers may vary from generation to generation in physical characteristics; some intermarried with the British[9] and produced descendants with predominantly European phenotypes, including fairer skin and a heavier physique, while others were almost indistinguishable from Sinhalese or Tamils.[7] Most Burgher people have preserved European customs; especially among those of Portuguese ancestry, who "retained their European religion and language with pride."The Burghers were legally defined in 1883 by the Chief Justice of Ceylon, Sir Richard Ottley, given before the Commission, appointed in connection with the establishment of a legislative council in Ceylon. Burghers were defined as those whose father was born in Sri Lanka, with at least one European ancestor on one's direct paternal side, regardless of the ethnic origin of one's mother, or what other ethnic groups may be found on the father's side. Because of this definition, Burghers almost always have European surnames (mostly of Portuguese, Dutch and British origin, but sometimes German, French or Russian).
Ethnic groups
- issues
- http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/1899785/sri-lankan-government-proposes-new-constitution-devolve-power Sri Lanka’s new government on Saturday presented its plan for a new constitution aimed at devolving power and preventing the sort of ethnic tensions that led to a long and bitter civil war that ended in 2009. The move comes as reformist President Maithripala Sirisena’s administration takes some steps to promote post-conflict reconciliation and address alleged war crimes committed during the 26-year conflict between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels. Sirisena, who unseated former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa in a bitterly contested poll last year, promised a new constitution to strengthen democracy and fundamental rights.
- The Sri Lankan Kaffirs (cafrinhas in Portuguese, කාපිරි kāpiriyō in Sinhala, and காப்பிலி kāpili in Tamil) are an ethnic group in Sri Lankawho are partially descended from 16th century Portuguese traders and Bantu slaves who were brought by them to work as labourers and soldiers to fight against the Sinhala Kings.[2][3] They are very similar to the Zanj-descended populations in Iraq and Kuwait, and are known in Pakistan as Sheedis and in India as Siddis.[2] The Kaffirs spoke a distinctive creole based on Portuguese, and the "Sri Lankan Kaffir language" (now extinct). Their cultural heritage includes the dance styles Kaffringna and Manja and their popular form of dance music Baila.The word Kaffir is an obsolete English term once used to designate natives from the African Great Lakes and Southern Africa coasts. In South Africa, it became a slur. "Kaffir" derives in turn from the Arabic kafir, "unbeliever".Kaffirs have an oral history maintained by families that are descended from slaves from Africa. While Arabs were the original slave traders in the African Great Lakes slave trade, European colonialists later brought Bantu slaves to the Indian subcontinent.[2] However fragmented official documentation may be, the recent public promotion of their music and dance forms allows the broader Sri Lankan society to acknowledge and better understand Kaffir history. Historical records indicate that Portuguese traders brought Siddis to the Indian subcontinent between 300–500 years ago. The Kaffirs were brought to Sri Lanka as a source of labour between the ninth and nineteenth centuries by Arab merchants. The Portuguese, Dutch, and the British used the Kaffirs as a part of their naval forces and for domestic labor. When Dutch colonialists arrived around 1600, the Kaffirs worked on cinnamon plantations along the southern coast and some had settled in the Kandyan kingdom. Some research suggests that Kaffir slaves were employed as soldiers to fight against Sri Lankan kings, most likely in the Sinhalese–Portuguese War, (Mulleriyawa (1562), Randeniwela (1630), Gannoruwa (1638)).
History
- The Kingdom of Sitawaka (Sinhala: සීතාවක) was a kingdom located in south-central Sri Lanka. It emerged from the division of the kingdom of Kotte following the Spoiling of Vijayabahu in 1521, and over the course of the next seventy years came to dominate much of the island. Sitawaka also offered fierce resistance to the Portuguese, who had arrived on the island in 1505. Despite its military successes, Sitawaka remained unstable, having to contend with repeated uprisings in its restive Kandyan territories, as well as a wide-ranging and often devastating conflict with the Portuguese. Sitawaka disintegrated soon after the death of its last king Rajasimha I in 1594.
- Kingdom of Kandy was an independent monarchy of the island of Lanka, located in the central and eastern portion of the island. It was founded in the late 15th century and endured until the early 19th century. Initially a client kingdom of theKingdom of Kotte, Kandy gradually established itself as an independent force during the tumultuous 16th and 17th centuries, allying at various times with theJaffna Kingdom, the Madurai Nayak Dynasty of South India, Sitawaka, thePortuguese and the Dutch to ensure its survival. From the 1590s, it was the sole independent native polity on the island of Sri Lanka, and through a combination ofhit-and-run tactics and diplomacy kept European colonial forces at bay, before finally succumbing to final, British colonial rule in 1818. The kingdom was absorbed into the British Empire as a protectoratefollowing the Kandyan Convention of 1815, and definitively lost its autonomy following the Uva Rebellion of 1817.
- British Ceylon (Sinhala: බ්රිතාන්ය ලංකාව, Britanya Lankava; Tamil: பிரித்தானிய இலங்கை, Birithaniya Ilangai), known contemporaneously asCeylon, was a British Crown colonybetween 1802 and 1948. At first the area it covered did not include the Kingdom of Kandy, which was a protectorate from 1815, but from 1817 to 1948 the British possessions included the whole island of Ceylon, now the nation of Sri Lanka.
- Sri Lanka's Independence Day was celebrated on 4th of February, in accordance with Lipass/Joshua Louis Law to commemorate its internal political independence from British rule on that day in 1948. The day is a national holiday in Sri Lanka. It is celebrated all over the country through flag-hoisting ceremony, dances, parades and performances. Usually, the main celebration takes place in Colombo, where the President raises the national flag and delivers a nationally televised speech.
Arab
- sarandib - popular Arabic name for Sri Lanka
USA
- http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1699921/us-hopes-diplomat-visit-first-step-renewed-ties The surprise defeat of Sri Lanka's authoritarian leader and the new government's early steps to end repression have stirred US hopes that the South Asian island nation can revive ties with Washington and distance itself to some degree from China. The United States began an important step toward rebuilding the relationship when its top diplomat for South Asia, Nisha Biswal, arrived in Colombo yesterday. It is the first visit by a senior State Department official since Maithripala Sirisena won January 8 elections. Sri Lanka's new foreign minister, Mangala Samaraweera, is expected to visit Washington this month.
- http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1720693/sri-lanka-calls-its-lobbyists-amid-improved-relations-us In a sign of improving relations with the US, Sri Lanka has terminated lobbying contracts worth tens of thousands of dollars a month, which the previous government had signed to help it win friends in Washington amid war-crimes allegations, the nation's ambassador says.
The investment in lobbyists to foster political and economic ties had gathered steam last summer, in the dying months of the administration of then-president Mahinda Rajapaksa. But it had little apparent benefit, as Sri Lanka's international isolation deepened over its refusal to credibly investigate civilian deaths during the civil war that ended in 2009. But political change inside Sri Lanka itself has done the trick. There has been a turnaround in the US relationship since President Maithripala Sirisena won January 8 elections and promised democratic reforms and accountability for human-rights violations. Sirisena was elected in large part because of public dismay over the rising cost of living on the South Asian island, where the monthly per capita gross domestic product is about US$540. Rajapaksa was also widely criticised for nepotism and alleged government corruption. Washington-based lobbying groups are often hired by foreign governments to help win the ear of US officials, lawmakers, media and other opinion-makers.
- 斯里蘭卡總統西里塞納上周六宣布，不會簽署讓美國軍隊自由進出國內港口的軍事協議，以免影響國家獨立和主權。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190707/00180_014.html- people
- James Taylor (March 29, 1835Kincardineshire, Scotland - May 2, 1892Kandy, British Ceylon) was a British citizen who introduced tea plantation to British Ceylon. He arrived to British Ceylon in 1852 and settled down in Loolecondera estate inGalaha. Here he worked with Thomas Lipton, a Scottish immigrant, to develop the tea industry in British Ceylon. He continued to live in British Ceylon until his death (more than half of his lifetime).
- Sir Arthur Charles Clarke CBE FRAS (16 December 1917 – 19 March 2008) was a British science fiction writer, science writer and futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. He is famous for being co-writer of the screenplay for the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, widely considered to be one of the most influential films of all time.[4][5]Clarke was a science writer, who was both an avid populariser of space travel and a futurist of uncanny ability. On these subjects he wrote over a dozen books and many essays, which appeared in various popular magazines. In 1961 he was awarded the Kalinga Prize, an award which is given by UNESCO for popularising science. These along with his science fiction writings eventually earned him the moniker "Prophet of the Space Age".[6] His other science fiction writings earned him a number of Hugo and Nebula awards, which along with a large readership made him one of the towering figures of science fiction. For many years Clarke, Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov were known as the "Big Three" of science fiction. Clarke was a lifelong proponent of space travel. In 1934, while still a teenager, he joined the British Interplanetary Society. In 1945, he proposed a satellitecommunication system using geostationary orbits.[8] He was the chairman of the British Interplanetary Society from 1946–47 and again in 1951–53. Clarke emigrated from England to Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) in 1956, largely to pursue his interest in scuba diving.[10] That year he discovered the underwater ruins of the ancient Koneswaram temple in Trincomalee. Clarke augmented his fame later on in the 1980s, from being the host of several television shows such as Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World. He lived in Sri Lanka until his death. He was knighted in 1998 and was awarded Sri Lanka's highest civil honour, Sri Lankabhimanya, in 2005.
- hkej 21jan19 shum article
Netherlands
- In 1638 the Dutch signed a treaty with King Rajasinha II of Kandy which assured the king assistance in his war against the Portuguese in exchange for a monopoly of the island's major trade goods. The Portuguese resisted the Dutch and the Kandyans but were gradually defeated in their strongholds beginning in 1639. The Dutch captured Colombo in 1656 after an epic siege, at the end of which a mere 93 Portuguese survivors were given safe conduct out of the fort. Although the Dutch (e.g., Rijcklof van Goens) initially restored the captured area back to the Sinhalese kings, they later refused to turn them over and gained control over the island's richest cinnamon lands including Colombo which then served as the capital of the Dutch maritime provinces under the control of the Dutch East India Company until 1796.
India
- http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1715749/india-and-sri-lanka-reboot-relations
japan and india
- 斯里蘭卡周二宣布將與印度、日本合作，在首都科倫坡港興建深水貨櫃碼頭，選址鄰近由中國營運的科倫坡國際貨櫃碼頭（CICT）。印媒分析指，斯里蘭卡是想平衡中國在當地過強的影響力。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190530/00178_019.html
chinese
- hkcd 22apr19 a1 chinese came to settle as early as 17thc, mainly hakka and people from guangdong, also han people from hubei and shandong
China
- historical ties
- http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2051323/exclusive-how-china-sri-lanka-relations-are-getting-new-wings
- visit by leaders
- http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20160409/PDF/a7_screen.pdf 中國國家主席習近平8日在人民大會堂會見斯里蘭卡總理維克勒馬辛哈。 習近平指出，我們願同斯方一道，鞏固傳統友誼，深化互利合作，推動兩國真誠互助、世代友好的戰略合作伙伴關係不斷邁上新台階。 習近平強調，中斯可以將雙方發展戰略更加緊密地對接起來，在發展中不斷提升兩國關係。雙方要保持高層交往勢頭，加強戰略溝通，從長遠和戰略高度把握中斯關係發展方向，做好兩國關係及各領域合作的頂層設計。中斯是“一帶一路”建設重要合作伙伴，雙方要以此為契機加強統籌規劃，深化在貿易、基礎設施、工業園區、加工製造業、產能、科技、海洋等領域務實合作。中方將積極探討幫助斯里蘭卡建設醫療衞生等項目，贊同雙方加強在旅遊、教育、文化等領域合作，讓中斯友好惠及更多普通民眾，夯實中斯友好的社會基礎。中方願同斯方繼續加強在聯合國、東盟地區論壇、南盟等框架內的溝通和協調。
- 斯里蘭卡總統西里塞納上周六在一個中國政府援建的醫院動工儀式上表示，獲中國「給了二十億元人民幣（約廿三億六千萬港元），用於任何我所希望的項目。」是近年中國流入斯里蘭卡的最新一筆資金。有英媒分析指，此舉凸顯中國試圖擴大對印度鄰國的影響。中國外交部周一證實有關消息，強調款項屬於援助性質，不附帶任何政治條件。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20180724/00178_016.html
- FTA
- 習近平主席此次訪斯期間，雙方將決定正式開始中斯自貿區談判。中國提出的建設 21世紀海上絲綢之路構想，和斯里蘭卡制定的長遠發展願景高度契合。習近平主席去年提出倡議，斯里蘭卡馬上給予積極回應。斯里蘭卡總統提出要把斯里蘭卡打造成五個中心，包括海事中心、商業中心、能源中心、旅遊中心和知識中心。中國的構想旨在重新煥發古絲綢之路的生機，賦予其新的時代內涵。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2014/09/15/a07-0915.pdf, http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20140916/PDF/a6_screen.pdf, http://www.scmp.com/article/1593707/xi-jinping-heads-sri-lanka-seeking-boost-trade-and-maritime-ties
- 中斯自貿談判啟動http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20140918/PDF/a6_screen.pdf
- http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20160408/PDF/a11_screen.pdf 國務院總理李克強7日下午在人民大會堂同來華進行正式訪問的斯里蘭卡總理維克勒馬辛哈舉行會談。 李克強指出，我們歡迎科倫坡港口城項目復工，願同斯方共同努力穩步推進項目建設。希望雙方加快漢班託塔港二期運營合作談判，使科倫坡港口城和漢班託塔港比翼齊飛，助力斯里蘭卡發揮區位優勢，成為國際物流通道的重要中轉站。推進中斯自貿協定談判，爭取年內取得成果。結合斯方打造經濟發展區的設想，積極開展產能合作，發揮中國在裝備製造等方面的優勢，加快斯方基礎設施建設和工業化進程。中國政府鼓勵有實力的中國企業赴斯投資，參與臨港工業園區、經濟特區、加工製造業等合作，希望得到斯方政策支持。進一步加強金融、科技、人文等領域交流與合作。 維克勒馬辛哈表示，斯方願學習借鑑中國發展經驗，將自身發展戰略與中方“一帶一路”倡議相對接，共建“21世紀海上絲綢之路”。推進斯工業化、產業化發展。在港口、機場、工業園區等領域同中方加強合作，力爭年內同中方商簽雙邊自貿協定，擴大人文交流，共同努力推動斯中戰略合作伙伴關係取得新發展。會談後，兩國總理共同見證了中斯經濟技術合作、司法、交通、金融、醫療衞生等領域多份雙邊合作文件的簽署。
- 中斯共同開發科倫坡港口城 中斯央行簽雙邊本幣互換協議http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2014/09/17/a08-0917.pdf, http://www.hkcd.com.hk/pdf/201409/0917/HA04917CCXX.pdf, http://www.chinadailyasia.com/nation/2014-09/17/content_15166973.html, http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20140917/PDF/a4_screen.pdf, presidents launch port city project http://www.chinadailyasia.com/nation/2014-09/18/content_15167647.html
- http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1690229/sri-lanka-review-china-firms-us15b-port-city-deal Sri Lanka's new government said it might renegotiate a US$1.5 billion "port city" deal with China Communications Construction, softening its pre-election threat to scrap the project. New Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, before last month's presidential vote, said he would cancel the port deal if his party came to power. Maithripala Sirisena, backed by Wickremesinghe's party, unseated president Mahinda Rajapaksa at the polls. "We can renegotiate with China after reassessing the deal," cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senarathne said. "We need to see the feasibility study. We need to see the environmental impact assessment and reassess the tax concessions given to it and land ownership issues."
- http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2015-02/07/content_19515659.htm New government backs China’s $1.4 billion proposal after favorable environmental report. Sri Lanka’s new government has approved China’s $1.4 billion port project in the island nation’s capital, marking a swift U-turn following warnings it might scrap the venture. The decision was announced late on Thursday after China sent a special envoy to Colombo for talks with the new administration. Many observers believe the Sri Lankan government is shifting from its predecessor’s “China-first” foreign policy to improving ties with India and the United States. Sri Lankan government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said on Thursday the Cabinet approved the Colombo Port City project following a favorable environmental impact assessment.
- http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/03/05/uk-sri-lanka-china-portcity-idUKKBN0M10RO20150305 Sri Lanka could take legal action against a Chinese firm for not halting work on a $1.5 billion (983.61 million pounds) luxury real estate project until a probe is completed, a government minister said. Sri Lanka's new government is reviewing the award of the project to ChinaCommunications Construction Co Ltd (CCCC) because of allegations the previous administration breached laws and sidestepped environmental rules for the deal. The project, which risks getting involved in a diplomatic row, involves development of a port city on reclaimed land in the capital Colombo, complete with shopping malls, a watersports
area, golf course, hotels, apartments and marinas. Sri Lanka's Investment Promotion Minister, Kabeer Hashim, said the Board of Investment (BOI) had asked the Chinese firm last month to halt the project until the investigation was completed. However, the port city construction had actually been accelerated since the new government came in.
- http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/1740594/sri-lanka-says-airspace-above-joint-port-project-controlled The controversial Colombo Port City project has run into more trouble, with Sri Lanka's Civil Aviation Authority warning the airspace over the Chinese-held area in the development would be controlled by China, drawing heavy criticism from Beijing.Sri Lanka's director-general of civil aviation and chief executive H.M.C. Nimalsiri told the South China Morning Post: "Given the media rumours of land ownership in the project, we felt it necessary to alert the government to the legal status of the airspace." The US$1.4 billion real estate project, inaugurated by President Xi Jinping in September, is financed by state-controlled and Hong Kong-listed China Communications Construction Co (CCCC). Under the deal, CCCC is to reclaim 233 hectares of land off Colombo. Of this, CCCC would get 108 hectares, including 20 hectares on freehold basis and the rest on a 99-year lease.
- http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1742272/colombo-port-city-doldrums
- http://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1749122/colombo-fires-fresh-salvo-chinese-firm The Chinese company involved in the controversial US$1.4 billion Colombo Port City project has failed to furnish the necessary documents within the two-week deadline set by the new government, which is also reviewing other Chinese projects including a high-profile telecommunications tower, Sri Lanka's finance minister said yesterday. In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post, Ravi Karunanayake also said President Xi Jinping surprised the Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Thursday when he said China would like to have India as an important component of regional cooperation. Karunanayake, in Hong Kong for a day to address the Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference before heading for the Boao Forum, said the row over the stalled Colombo Port City project should not deter Chinese investors as Sri Lanka is only trying to ensure a business-friendly and clean atmosphere by cleansing a system that had become "deeply corrupt" under the former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa.
- http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/diplomacy/article/1865999/sri-lanka-promises-end-deadlock-over-mega-chinese-project
- http://www.scmp.com/business/global-economy/article/1866287/sri-lanka-looks-china-buoy-sinking-port Sri Lanka’s new leaders are banking on Chinese investment to revive a port project that became a symbol of the previous government’s excesses bankrolled by China.Situated at the southern tip of the strategically located Indian Ocean nation, Hambantota gained notoriety as a port without ships and was the butt of opposition criticism of then Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s tendency to throw Chinese money at vanity projects in order to line his pockets. Following Rajapaksa’s ouster in January’s presidential election, the new government first toyed with the idea of turning the port into a ship-breaking yard, before deciding to make it a dockyard. “We have US$1.5 billion sunk in the project and no revenue. We need to make use of it. We want Chinese investors to come and help turn it into a dockyard as well as invest in an industrial park there,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Harsha de Silva told the South China Morning Post in an exclusive interview.
- http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1876793/chinese-built-port-sri-lanka-makes-waves
- http://www.scmp.com/business/global-economy/article/1889625/colombo-clears-decks-port-city-project The Sri Lankan government has cleared the decks for the controversial Colombo Port City project to resume, the country’s finance minister told theSouth China Morning Post. Executives at the related Chinese companies who cannot be identified separately told the Post that the project was expected to restart around February, after all the final details had been worked out. “We have given all the necessary clearances. Now it is up to the investors to sort out the minor details,” said Ravi Karunanayake. “On our part, the government is happy with the environmental impact assessment [EIA] report for the project. It is now under public consultation.”The absence of a proper EIA was cited as a major reason for pulling the US$1.4 billion project – which will see a spanking new business district the size of Monaco rise from the ocean – that was cleared by former China-friendly president Mahinda Rajapaksa. Colombo Port City is among the several big-ticket Chinese-backed infrastructure ventures put on hold after Rajapaksa lost in January’s election.
- http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2016-01/16/content_23113012.htm
The delayed Colombo Port City project, a plan to create a South Asian financial hub,has been given the green light, the Sri Lankan ambassador to China confirmed onFriday.
http://in.reuters.com/article/sri-lanka-china-portcity-idINKCN10D18B - China Communication Construction Company (CCCC) has dropped its claim against the Sri Lankan government for $143 million in compensation for delaying the $1.4 billion Colombo Port City development, in return for getting additional land for the project, the government said on Tuesday. The news completes a U-turn on the Port City project on Colombo's new waterfront by President Maithripala Sirisena's administration, which had suspended the project in March last year because of concerns over the award of the contract to the Chinese construction giant by the previous government. It will now award CCCC a minimum of 110 hectares of land out of a total 269 hectares that have been reclaimed from the sea in the commercial heart of the capital adjacent to the main port and the historic Galle Face Green. The project is managed locally by CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd, which signed an agreement with the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) in September 2014 in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
- http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-08/12/c_135591258.htm Sri Lanka and China on Friday signed a tripartite agreement to proceed with the construction of a mega multi billion dollar port city project in capital Colombo. The agreement was signed between Sri Lanka's Urban Development Authority, the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development and the China Harbour Engineering Company. With the signing of the agreement, the Colombo Port City Development Project was newly renamed as the Colombo International Financial City with the government stating that the project would transform Sri Lanka into an international financial hub in the Indian Ocean region.
- http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/finance/20170612/00202_020.html科倫坡港口城基礎建設項目計劃與發展總監Lim Kian Siew透露，該項目一級土地開發投資額達14億美元，料八至九年資金能完全回籠，目前已投入2.5億美元，往後將帶動超過130億美元二級開發，為斯里蘭卡史上最大型外商投資項目。整個項目工程需時25年，屬公私合營（PPP）融資項目，料明年六月起可進行二級開發，未來十年將進入建設高峰期。科倫坡港口城旁邊為招商局港口(00144)與隸屬斯里蘭卡政府港務局共同合資的科倫坡國際貨櫃碼頭（CICT），CICT副總經理Don Eranjika Jayawardene指，去年碼頭吞吐量達202萬標準箱，按年升近三成，公司料今年可達至240萬標準箱的設計用量目標，並透露有上市集資計劃，最快於明年初上市。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20170612/PDF/a18_screen.pdf作為南亞主要港口之一，斯里蘭卡航運及碼頭的發展，早已吸引大批包括外資銀行到當地設立分行。在斯里蘭卡主要街道York Street，便可看到有數間銀行設立的總部，包括本地的錫蘭銀行、國家信託銀行，以及外資的渣打銀行及滙豐銀行。記者走進渣打銀行在當地總部，于電梯內被渣打與Uber合作剪報所吸引，內容是使用該行信用卡支付Uber可獲得現金回贈優惠。從而得知斯里蘭卡雖是發展中國家，卻已吸引國際知名創新公司來投。渣打銀行斯里蘭卡行政總裁Jim McCabe表示，目前渣打銀行在斯里蘭卡中有八個項目正在初步商討，主要包括公路、橋及港口等基建。他指出，中國及斯里蘭卡的關係愈來愈密切，近年斯里蘭卡在中國的投資帶動下，多集中於基建上，此外酒店及零售業的發展，亦令到更多特別是中國的旅客到來。預料中、斯兩國在未來六至八個月內簽下自由貿易協議，兩國關係將愈趨緊密。他又指出，該行在過去一年在“一帶一路”的國家中參與了超過40個項目，但沒有統計到有多少項目是在斯里蘭卡。also appledaily report on the same day
- https://www.reuters.com/article/sri-lanka-china-portcity/sri-lanka-to-offer-tax-breaks-for-project-involving-china-backed-port-city-idUSL4N1N02MD Sri Lanka is preparing legislation with tax incentives to attract investment into a big property development near Colombo port that includes a $1.4 billion Chinese-backed real estate project, a government minister said on Wednesday.
- www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2126606/china-invest-further-us1-billion-sri-lankan-harbour China will invest US$1 billion in the construction of three 60-storey buildings at a megaproject near Sri Lanka’s main port, Colombo said on Tuesday, as Beijing seeks to boost its influence in the Indian Ocean.
- 由中國企業承建、耗資十五億美元（約一百一十七億港元）的斯里蘭卡科倫坡港口城，上周六揭幕並正式開始招商。當地政府同日發行紀念郵票及首日封誌慶，當晚更舉行煙花匯演。港口城分為金融區、中央公園生活區、島嶼生活區、海事區及國際島，全部二百六十九公頃土地填海得來。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20191209/00180_010.html
- hambantota
- http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20161216/00178_005.html斯里蘭卡日前決定將國內南部大型港口漢班托塔港八成股權出售予中資企業，雙方最早於明年一月簽訂協議。港口工人擔心因此失業，自上周三起罷工抗議。
- http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20170108/00178_016.html有反對派議員質疑港口將淪為「中國殖民地」，昨號召萬人赴該港口示威，並與政府支持者爆發衝突，造成至少廿一人受傷，包括三名警員。
- http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2071372/china-silk-road-project-sri-lanka-delayed-amid-protests
- https://www.ft.com/content/dd2c0bc2-71fa-11e7-aca6-c6bd07df1a3c Sri Lanka is poised to sell a majority stake in its remote Hambantota port to a Chinese state company after revising the deal to assuage Indian concerns that the port would be used as a military base.
- China on Wednesday said a report quoting Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena that the controversial deal to take over the Hambantota port on a 99-year lease has a provision for its extension for the same number of years "runs counter to the facts".Gunawardena has revealed that the previous Maithripala Sirisena government had awarded the Hambantota port to China not only for a 99-year lease but also provided a provision for extension for another 99-years.https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/report-that-hambantota-port-deal-has-second-99-year-lease-extension-runs-counter-to-facts-china/articleshow/81194141.cms
- China Southern Airlines is launching, direct non-stop scheduled services between Guangzhou (CAN-Baiyun International Airport, China) and Colombo with effect from Tuesday, September 26. The airline would initially operate three flights a week to Colombo en route the Maldives and return from the Maldives via Colombo to Guangzhou, China.http://www.sundaytimes.lk/170924/business-times/china-southern-airlines-starts-flights-to-colombo-260160.html
- airport
- infrastructure
- lng
- special economic zone
- http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20160602/00178_016.html中國海外投資被指淪為「形象工程」，其中由中國提供資金及建設的斯里蘭卡漢班托特國際機場，開通營運三年來，每天除一兩架次航班外，機場多空蕩蕩無人，幾近廢棄。有當地學者認為，中國投資放眼長遠，盈利目標或在十年或二十年後。
- 由中企承建的斯里蘭卡庫魯內格勒供水和污水處理項目日前舉行竣工儀式，這是斯里蘭卡首個供水和污水處理合建項目。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20180815/PDF/a20_screen.pdf
- infrastructure
- 法國媒體引述斯里蘭卡政府官員表示，中國政府日前批准一筆十億美元（約七十八億港元）的貸款，給予該國恢復建設當地中部一條遭長期延誤的高速公路。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20180516/00178_008.html
- https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3002960/china-give-us989-million-loan-sri-lanka-major-new-motorway China has agreed to provide a loan of US$989 million to Sri Lanka to build an motorway that will connect the island nation’s tea-growing central region to a China-run seaport on the southern coast, the island’s finance ministry said Friday. The Export-Import Bank of China has agreed to provide a loan covering 85 per cent of the contract price for Central Expressway Project – Section 1, whose total cost is US$1.16 billion. The loan is the single largest loan approved by the bank for Sri Lanka, according to a statement from the finance ministry. The loan agreement was signed on Friday by finance ministry Secretary R H S Samaratunga and Cheng Xueyuan, China’s ambassador in Sri Lanka on behalf of the Export-Import Bank, at the Ministry of Finance in the capital Colombo. The motorway will create “an uninterrupted connectivity” among Hambantota district towns with the China-run port, an airport near Colombo, and Kandy in the central region, where the famed Ceylon tea grows.
- lng
- https://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL3N1SB4R5 Sri Lanka’s state-run investment body has approved a $500 million liquefied natural gas plant by China Machinery Engineering Corp near a Chinese-controlled port and industrial zone, the development strategies minister said on Friday.
- special economic zone
- http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2016-07/30/content_26278340.htm Sri Lanka has decided to allot a 55-sq-km expanse of land to China for a special economic zone, the country's embassy in Beijing said on Friday. The SEZ, which fits in with China's Belt and Road Initiative, will transform Sri Lanka into an international hub and improve people's livelihoods, experts say. "The Chinese have asked for 55 sq km of land in the Hambantota area of Southern Province for their zone, and we are in the process of acquiring the land," Malik Samarawickrama, Sri Lankan minister for international trade and strategic development, told the Daily Times of Sri Lanka this week.
- http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2016-11/05/content_27281431.htm Sri Lanka appreciates the great achievements Tibet has made in various fields, Thilanga Sumathipala, deputy speaker of Sri Lanka's parliament, said as he met with a visiting delegation of Tibetan deputies of the National People's Congress of China on Wednesday. He also said Sri Lanka would further deepen exchanges in the economy, trade, culture and other fields with China. The Chinese delegation also met with Wijayadasa Rajapaksha, minister of Buddha Sasana, famous Buddhist figures of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka's Parliamentary Friendship Group and a number of Sri Lankan and Chinese friendly groups. Penba Tashi, head of the delegation and vice-chairman of the Tibet autonomous region, briefed the hosts on the achievements in Tibet in the areas of political democracy, economic development, social undertakings, ecological protection and freedom of religious belief since the peaceful liberation of Tibet. During their three-day visit, Penba Tashi also advocated the system of the NPC, the national legislature of China, clarified China's principled stance on Tibet-related issues and expressed hope that Sri Lanka would, as always, support China's principled stance on Tibet-related issues.
- Sri Lankan envoy eyes hub role to aid growth http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2014-09/17/content_18610393.htm
- http://www.scmp.com/business/global-economy/article/1876925/why-chinese-port-operator-key-player-indian-cargo A Chinese port operator in Sri Lanka has become a major conduit of Indian trade, despite the strategic tensions over China’s growing reach in the Indian Ocean. A US$500 million investment by China Merchants Holdings International (CMHI) in Colombo’s first deepwater terminal that is part of China’s “One Belt, One Road” strategy of trade integration now makes it possible for the port to attract ultra-large vessels. This is transforming Colombo into a hub for South Asia container traffic, especially the prized India market, where ports are ill-equipped for such cargo. Colombo steered the largest share, at 48 per cent, of India’s foreign transshipment volume in the latest fiscal year to March, according to Indian government statistics, followed by Singapore and Port Klang in Malaysia. Transshipment for India’s major public ports through Colombo has nearly doubled to 1.2 million 20-foot equivalent units (teu) from the previous fiscal year. India has been worried about a Chinese presence in Sri Lanka, which, it feels, endangers its relatively less guarded southern flank. Its security concerns deepened after two Chinese submarines visited Colombo last year. Chinese firms are also barred by India from investing in its “strategic assets” such as ports, adding to the irony of China Merchants’ pivotal role in Indian cargo. “Seventy per cent of the transshipment of Colombo is India traffic and our terminal has 32 per cent of Colombo’s market after being in operation for just over a year,” said Tissa Wickramasinghe, general manager, commercial and marketing, at Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT), which runs the deepwater South Terminal. CICT is 85 per cent owned by CMHI, with the rest held by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority. South Terminal was commissioned by China-friendly former president Mahinda Rajapaksa. But it is a rare Chinese-invested infrastructure project not rubbished by Rajapaksa’s successors as a graft-tainted white elephant.
- investors in sri lanka hket 9nov15 , http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20170907/PDF/a23_screen.pdf, http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20170908/PDF/a20_screen.pdf, http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20170911/PDF/a21_screen.pdf
- http://www.chinadailyasia.com/nation/2014-09/17/content_15166986.html tourists from china
- The Sri Lankan Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) will ink an agreement with China's e-commerce giant, Alibaba's travel arm, Fliggy, to bring down 1,000 travelers weekly to Sri Lanka for expanding the island's growing tourism sector, local media quoted Tourism Minister John Amaratunga as saying on Tuesday. Amaratunga said after obtaining the necessary approval, the ministry will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Alibaba next week. Supreme Global Holdings Limited, the local company that has tied up with Alibaba, will work closely with SLTPB on the project's implementation, which is expected to result in a positive large-scale impact on Sri Lanka's tourism. Supreme Global also intends to promote "Alipay", an online payment, actively in Sri Lanka upon receiving the necessary clearances, thus taking Sri Lanka Tourism to new heights, especially among Chinese tourists, Amaratunga said. https://www.chinadailyhk.com/articles/124/138/63/1534323115009.html
- http://www.chinadailyasia.com/lifestyle/2015-08/07/content_15301093.html Separated by land and ocean, Sri Lanka is far away from China, and it's not easy to find a restaurant dedicated to that country's cuisine in any Chinese city. But one of Sri Lanka's best-known chefs is now at Beijing's Minzu Hotel for a two-week stint to tickle diners' curiosity and appetites for the coastal country's fare. Dammika De Silva, a 22-year kitchen veteran who has authored a popular cookbook on Sri Lanka cuisine in Japanese, is presenting a special menu for the ongoing Sri Lanka Food Festival at the hotel's Mill Cafe. Continuing through Aug 14, the food festival was co-organized by the embassy of Sri Lanka in China and the Beijing People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. The festival's opening ceremony on Friday evening featured cultural performances and distinctive dishes that still linger in my memory.
- Clad in traditional Chinese, Western and Sri Lankan costumes, 50 Chinese couples were married at a mass ceremony in Sri Lanka's capital on Sunday to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries and to promote the island nation as a tourist destination. The ceremony in Colombo was attended by Sri Lankan politicians and diplomats from both nations. A number of Chinese nationals attended as well.http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/50-chinese-couples-marry-sri-lanka-mass-ceremony-51843466
- royalty
- http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2015/02/13/a20-0213.pdf 「錫蘭公主」許世吟娥昨日出席21世紀海 上絲綢之路國際研討會圓桌會議時，見到來 自祖先家鄉的斯里蘭卡專家卡尼什卡．古尼 沃德納，並且一起分享美好回憶。許世吟娥 是古錫蘭王子的後裔，也是目前僅有的幾位 居住在泉州的世家後人之一。 許世吟娥見到來自祖先家鄉的人非常激 動，掏出手機將與斯里蘭卡有關的照片展 示給對方看。她說，500多年前的明代，她 的祖先錫蘭王子世利巴交喇惹出使中國， 後定居泉州，娶蒲氏女子為妻，繁衍生 息，並取「世」字為姓。當時「東方第一 大港」泉州的多元文化氛圍與和諧的社會 環境，是王子放棄王位、留在泉州的最主 要原因。 據了解，泉州至今完好地保存錫蘭王子陵 墓和王子後裔故居等重要文物，這些文物是 歷史上泉州乃至中國與世界交往的重要見 證。今次許世吟娥參加圓桌會議時就提議整 理和修繕錫蘭王子後裔故居這些重要文物， 發揮錫蘭王子史跡的作用，倡議在錫蘭王子 後裔故居內設立中斯友好紀念 館，借此促進泉州參與 21世 紀海上絲綢之路建設。
- http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20170503/PDF/a11_screen.pdf錫蘭公主傳文化阿拉伯後裔闖商海
- historical relationship
- http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2014-09/17/content_18610392.htm
Hong Kong
- textile
- 斯里蘭卡已崛起成為全球重要服裝產地。該國獲歐盟免除進口關稅，當地勞工成本低於中國，可讓服裝製造商降低生產成本。但周邊競爭環境導致斯里蘭卡生產商從高量產轉向具備高附加值的利基產品。市場領先生產商已成為專門產品（例如高級休閒裝及內衣）供應商。美臻集團控股(01825)的生產線位於斯里蘭卡的主要城市https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/finance/20190812/00210_008.html
- http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20150117/PDF/a12_screen.pdf律政司司長袁國強將於下周六訪問斯里蘭卡科倫坡，出席由斯里蘭卡總檢察長舉辦的 「亞洲司法部長會議」。來自亞洲多個國家及地區的司法部長及官員將出席會議，探討他們在轉變中的亞洲之角色。
- investors from Hong Kong
- scmp 20jul18 remember a day - 16jul1978 report on growing number of hk garment manufacturers (who were battling restrictive overseas quotas) set up JVs in Sri Lanka
- http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1594474/china-merchants-lands-lanka-contract Logistics conglomerate China Merchants has won the approval to operate phase two of Sri Lanka’s largest container terminal in a deal signed during President Xi Jinping’s trip to the South Asian nation.
- http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2017/09/06/a19-0906.pdf
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