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Sri Lanka

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Sri Lanka. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Colombo

Head of State

President Ranil Wickremesinghe

Head of Government

President Ranil Wickremesinghe

Resort manager Jeewanthi Adikari with her all female staff at Amba Yaalu resort in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, on February 21. Photo: AP

Women and gender

Sri Lanka resort seeks to break gender barriers, empower women

Amba Yaalu is Sri Lanka’s first resort operated and managed only by women, and an attempt to address the tourism sector’s gender disparities.

8 Mar 2025 - 5:31PM

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

From crisis to comeback? Sri Lanka’s new budget bets big on trade and investment

7 Mar 2025 - 9:05PMvideocam

Asia elections

In a world of declining freedom, 1 South Asian nation stands out: report

3 Mar 2025 - 10:02AM

Food and Drinks

Tea hand-picked for drinking and eating in Sri Lanka’s Golden Valley

A lot goes into a tea bag, from growing and picking the leaves to fermenting and blending them. Nowadays tea also turns up on diners’ plates.

22 Feb 2025 - 1:15PMvideocam

A tea picker at Bogawantalawa Tea Estate. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Energy

Blackout exposes Sri Lanka’s precarious path to greater reliance on renewables

Experts warn of further grid instability as Sri Lanka pushes for 70 per cent renewable energy by 2030.

21 Feb 2025 - 8:02PMvideocam

Animals

6 elephants killed after Sri Lanka passenger train collides with herd

The train was travelling near a wildlife reserve at Habarana when it hit a family of elephants crossing the line.

20 Feb 2025 - 4:06PM

Architecture and design

How an 18th century Dutch house was restored by an ex-Hong Kong resident

Peter Harris fell in love with the building on his first stay there 20 years ago, when he was on holiday with his family.

18 Feb 2025 - 1:12PM

Peter Harris at Doornberg, Galle, Sri Lanka. Photo: Sebastian Posingis

Trade

Sri Lanka scraps pandemic-era ban on vehicle imports to reap tax rewards

Vehicle imports were banned in 2020 to save foreign exchange reserves, but the move deprived authorities of a lucrative revenue stream.

18 Feb 2025 - 11:06AM

Diplomacy

Sri Lanka’s first elephant orphanage celebrates 50 years

The orphanage opened in 1975, but Sri Lanka is also now facing a human-elephant conflict in areas bordering traditional wildlife sanctuaries.

16 Feb 2025 - 10:02PM

Tourism

Sri Lanka investigates tourist deaths from suspected pesticide poisoning

A Briton and a German died after their hostel rooms in Colombo were fumigated for bedbugs and other pests.

8 Feb 2025 - 1:43PM

Tourists visit the Galle Fort in Sri Lanka. Photo: AFP

Asean

Opinion | From Trump to tech titans, geopolitical traps await Southeast Asia

The US-China tech war and politicisation of tech firms are narrowing options for wary regional players.

31 Jan 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

President Donald Trump speaks as SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son, Oracle Corporation chairman CEO Larry Ellison and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman listen, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on January 21. Photo: AP

Diplomacy

Adani denies Sri Lanka cancelled wind power purchase deal

Sri Lanka cancelled the agreement after allegations of corruption in a US probe last year, AFP reported citing unnamed government officials.

25 Jan 2025 - 11:30PM

India

India’s bet on AI-enabled warships needs boost to counter China, experts say

While India’s first AI-enabled warship enhances its capabilities in the Indian Ocean, experts warn that more vessels are needed to counter China’s growing presence.

23 Jan 2025 - 10:54PM

Diplomacy

Sri Lanka’s ex-leaders told to vacate luxury government homes

The luxury bungalows are being converted into hotels or museums, with the Rajapaksas receiving a modest rent allowance instead.

22 Jan 2025 - 8:24AM

Gotabaya Rajapaksa (right) and his brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, will be forced to leave their luxury lodgings under a new government order. Photo: AFP

India

Should India be worried about Sri Lanka and China’s growing cooperation?

The new deals ‘signal a deepening of China’s influence in Sri Lanka’ and revive concerns of a debt trap, analysts say.

20 Jan 2025 - 7:30PMvideocam

The Hambantota International Port in Sri Lanka. Photo: Hambantota International Port/Handout via Xinhua

Climate change

Sri Lanka’s children suffer amid climate change-fuelled floods and disease

Turbocharged monsoon floods are intensifying the spread of waterborne diseases in the Indian Ocean island nation.

13 Jan 2025 - 3:06PM

India

With eyes on China and India, Sri Lanka lifts ban on foreign research vessels

The decision reflects Colombo’s efforts to stay non-aligned as it juggles India’s security concerns with China’s growing influence.

8 Jan 2025 - 3:12PM

Asia travel

8 Asian surfing spots to ride the waves, from Phuket to Sri Lanka

Surfing is banned in Hong Kong, but the rest of Asia offers great alternatives for everyone – from Phuket’s beginner waves to Indonesia’s challenging barrels.

3 Jan 2025 - 6:15AM

Surf’s up: seasoned surfers flock to the famous Cloud 9 surf spot on Siargao Island in the Philippines. Photo: Getty Images

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

My Take | South Asia needs to get its political house in order to turn around its economy

Political violence and social unrest have dented support for South Asian countries from investors and multilateral institutions.

27 Dec 2024 - 10:30AM

Myanmar

Sri Lanka rescues 102 refugees adrift on fishing boat

Fishermen spotted the group, believed to be Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and including 25 children, off Sri Lanka’s northern coast.

20 Dec 2024 - 5:19PMvideocam

Hong Kong property

Hong Kong outshines Singapore as demand for flexible office space grows: report

Bengaluru and Makati are the hottest spots as demand surged by 107 and 47 per cent, respectively, according to a study.

19 Dec 2024 - 9:22AM

People crossing a busy street in Central business district, Hong Kong , in October 2024. Photo: Dickson Lee

India

Sri Lanka’s Dissanayake makes first overseas trip to India – is China a factor?

The visit by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to New Delhi is seen as a move by Colombo to seek India’s support for debt-laden Sri Lanka.

11 Jan 2025 - 11:09AMvideocam

Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands ahead of their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Monday. Photo: Reuters

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Sri Lanka’s new government faces backlash over IMF debt repayment plan

President Dissanayake has chosen to continue with the current IMF programme, raising concerns about its impact on economic growth and relief for the population.

30 Nov 2024 - 7:53AMvideocam

India

Adani projects in Sri Lanka face probe after US bribery charges

The move by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s government comes after the US indicted Gautam Adani for bribery and Kenya cancelled deals with the group.

26 Nov 2024 - 6:06PM

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Sri Lanka’s new leftist government sticks within IMF ‘guard rails’

The IMF reached an agreement with the administration of President Dissanayake to continue the four-year loan negotiation last year.

23 Nov 2024 - 6:09PM

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (second from right) arrives at the parliament complex to address the ceremonial inauguration of the 10th parliament in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Thursday. Photo: EPA-EFE

China-Sri Lanka relations

Opinion | In Sri Lanka, China and India have a chance to join hands

The island nation could benefit from the expertise of Beijing and New Delhi, which would do well to help Colombo resist Western influence.

20 Nov 2024 - 5:30AMvideocam

A vendor displays newspapers for sale at a stall in Kandy on November 16, 2024. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s leftist coalition won a majority in snap parliamentary polls, provisional results showed on November 15. Photo: AFP

Asia elections

Landslide win in Sri Lanka for Dissanayake’s leftist coalition

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, whose coalition took at least 159 seats in the 225-member assembly, said thanks ‘to all who voted for a renaissance’.

15 Nov 2024 - 5:07PMvideocam

Asia elections

Women candidates signal potential shift in Sri Lanka’s male-dominated politics

While analysts welcome the increase, they caution that more women in politics alone won’t challenge patriarchal norms and achieve true gender equality.

13 Nov 2024 - 9:43PM

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