Updated April 25, 2019
Sri Lanka
The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, known as
Ceylon until 1972, is a constitutional democracy in South
Asia with relatively high levels of development. It is
strategically located in the Indian Ocean off the
southeastern tip of India’s Deccan Peninsula.
Historical Setting
The island nation was settled by successive waves of
migration from India beginning in the 5th century BC. Indo-
Aryans from northern India established Sinhalese Buddhist
kingdoms in the central part of the island. Tamil Hindus
from southern India also settled in northeastern coastal
areas and established a kingdom on the Jaffna Peninsula.
Beginning in the 16th century, Sri Lanka was colonized in
Sri Lanka in Brief
succession by the Portuguese, Dutch, and English.
Population: 22.4 mil ion, 2018 est.
Although Ceylon gained its independence from Britain
Area: Slightly larger than West Virginia
peacefully in 1948, succeeding decades were marred by
ethnic conflict between the country’s Sinhalese majority,
Head of Government: President Maithirpala Sirisena
clustered in the densely populated South and West, and a
Ethnic Groups: Sinhalese 74.9%, Sri Lanka Tamils 11.2%,
largely Hindu Tamil minority living in the North and East.
Moors 9.2%, Indian Tamils 4.2%, 2012 est.
Following independence, the Tamils—who had attained
Languages: Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%
educational and civil service positions under the British—
Religions: Buddhist 70.2%, Hindu 12.6%, Muslim 9.7%,
increasingly faced discrimination from the Sinhalese-
Christians 7.6%
dominated government, which made Sinhala the sole
official language and gave preferences to Sinhalese in
GDP: 3.2% growth, 2018; $13,000 per capita GDP in PPP, 2017
university admissions and government jobs. The Sinhalese,
Unemployment: 4.5%, 2018 est.
who had deeply resented British favoritism toward the
Labor Force: Agriculture 28.4%, industry 25.7%, services 45.9%
Tamils, saw themselves not only as the majority, but also as
Exports: Garments, tea, spices, rubber, gems and jewelry,
a minority in a larger regional context that includes over 60
million Tamils across the Palk Strait in India’s southern
refined petroleum, fish and coconut products
state of Tamil Nadu and elsewhere in India.
Destination of exports: U.S. 24.6%, U.K. 8.9%, India 5.8%,
Singapore 4.5%, 2017 est.
Civil War
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Economist Intelligence Unit,
For 25 years, from 1983 to 2009, political, social, and
CRS Map
economic development was constrained by ethnic conflict
and war between the government and the Liberation Tigers
of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also known as the Tamil Tigers.
Political Crisis
The war cost an estimated 70,000-130,000 lives. The LTTE
The governing coalition began to fracture after it performed
rebels sought to establish a separate state or internal self-
poorly in the February 2018 local elections, losing out to
rule in the Tamil-dominated areas.
the newly-formed Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)
party capitalized on rising Sinhalese ethnic nationalism to
After a violent end to the civil war in May 2009, when the
win 45 % of the vote. A political crisis emerged in late
military crushed LTTE forces and precipitated a
humanitarian emergency in Sri Lanka’s Tamil
2018 when President Sirisena of the Sri Lanka Freedom
-dominated
Party (SLFP) tried unsuccessfully to dismiss Prime Minister
north, attention turned to whether the government had the
Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP)
ability and intention to build a stable peace in Sri Lanka.
and replace him with Rajapaksa of the SLPP. The next
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, elected in 2005,
presidential election is expected in late 2019 and some
faced criticism for an allegedly insufficient response to
observers believe a SLPP candidate may win. The new
reported war crimes, a nepotistic and ethnically biased
president will subsequently be able to dissolve parliament
government, increasing restrictions on media, and uneven
after February 2020. It is predicted that the SLPP will do
economic development. In the January 2015 presidential
well in the 2020 parliamentary election.
election he was defeated by President Maithripala Sirisena.
This result was affirmed in parliamentary elections later in
Some observers say rising Sinhalese nationalism is a threat
2015 that led to the formation of a unity government
to lasting reconciliation between the majority Sinhalese and
supportive of Sirisena’s reform agenda, including efforts to
the Tamil minority, which is represented primarily by the
reduce the authority of the executive presidency.
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in parliament. Supporters
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Sri Lanka
of former President Rajapaksa, who is widely viewed as a
publication of the Report of the U.N. Office of the High
Sinhalese nationalist, formed the SLPP to challenge
Commissioner for Human Rights Investigation on Sri
Sirisena’s reform coalition in 2016. The Tamil Arise
Lanka and was viewed by many at the time as a positive
movement also emerged in 2016 to push for Tamil rights.
step to advance justice in Sri Lanka. Since the adoption of
the resolution, however, President Sirisena has backed
Easter Bombings
away from supporting any significant involvement of
A series of Easter Sunday bombings in 2019 claimed over
international judges in a special judicial mechanism to
250 lives and left over 500 injured. At least 38 of the dead
prosecute war crimes. The High Commissioner for Human
were foreigners, including 4 Americans. The bombings
Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, noted steps taken by Sri
targeted churches in the capital Colombo, as well as
Lanka but also called for a transitional justice mechanism to
Negombo, and Batticaloa. The Shangri-la, Cinnamon
deal with past human rights abuses. A Sri Lankan Office of
Grand, and Kingsbury Hotels in Colombo were also
Missing Persons is being established, and a Right to
targeted. A planned attack on a fourth hotel failed and
Information law was passed by the Sri Lankan parliament.
reportedly helped police identify the perpetrators. The
Tensions between Sinhalese and Muslim groups led to a
attacks were carried out by nine Sri Lankan suicide
wave of violence and a state of emergency in the Kandy
bombers and are the worst violence to strike Sri Lanka
District in March 2018. Human rights issues include
since the end of its civil war. Sri Lankan officials declared
unlawful killings, torture, sexual abuse, arbitrary detention,
that the attacks were carried out by National Thowheeth
and violence against LGBTI persons.
Jama’ath (NTJ), a little-known Sri Lankan Islamist terrorist
group. The scale, coordination, and targets of the attack
Strategic Setting
have led observers (and Colombo) to suggest possible
Sri Lanka is situated near strategically important sea lanes
linkages with the Islamic State (IS).
that transit the Indian Ocean. These sea lanes link the
energy-rich Persian Gulf with the economies of Asia. To
U.S.-Sri Lanka Relations
some observers, maritime trade is increasingly integrating
The White House issued the following statement following
the Indian and Pacific Oceans’ littoral regions into a more
the 2019 Easter bombings. “The United States condemns in
unified strategic arena. Sri Lanka and India share close,
the strongest terms the outrageous terrorist attacks in Sri
longstanding historical, cultural, and religious ties. India
Lanka that have claimed so many precious lives on this
became entangled in a counter-insurgency war against the
Easter Sunday.” Secretary of State Pompeo declared, “We
LTTE following the signing of the Indo-Sri Lanka
stand with the Sri Lankan government and people as they
Agreement of 1987. Between 1987 and 1990, India lost
confront violent extremism and have offered our assistance
over 1,200 soldiers in this conflict. Prime Minister Rajiv
as they work to bring the perpetrators to justice.” The
Gandhi was later killed by an LTTE suicide bomber in
Department of State issued a travel advisory warning that,
1991. The Sri Lanka-India relationship was strengthened by
Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks
President Sirisena’s February 2015 visit to India, his first
in Sri Lanka. Terrorists may attack with little or no
foreign visit as president, and also by Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s March 2015 return visit to Colombo, the
warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation
first by an Indian prime minister in 29 years. During his
hubs, markets/shopping malls, local government
visit, Modi articulated his government’s desire that the
facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of
worship…
Tamil community in Sri Lanka have a just and dignified life
.
in a unified Sri Lanka. India’s native Tamil populations feel
Following the attacks, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka
kinship with Sri Lanka’s Tamils. India, along with the
Alaina Teplitz told reporters that the U.S. Federal Bureau of
United States, has been an active voice for reconciliation
Investigation and the military are supporting the
and fair elections. India has also played host to a large
investigation into the bombings. The United States and Sri
number of Tamil refugees, 100,000 by some estimates, both
Lanka also halted a series of Cooperation Afloat and
during and after the Sri Lankan civil war.
Readiness Training (CARAT) exercises that were underway
China-Sri Lanka Relations
off the coast of Hambantota prior to the Easter attack.
Some analysts have expressed concern over Sri Lanka’s
Through its foreign aid and diplomacy the United States has
deepening relationship with China, including Chinese
supported initiatives intended to strengthen governance,
submarine visits to Sri Lanka. Beijing has invested
democratic reform, the rule of law, and human rights in Sri
significantly in Sri Lanka’s infrastructure. In 2017, Sri
Lanka. The U.S. Agency for International Development
Lanka leased port facilities at Hambantota to China for 99
(USAID) has maintained a presence in Sri Lanka since
years for an estimated $1.1 billion to help Sri Lanka reduce
1948. The United States is Sri Lanka’s single largest
its debt. China considers its activities in Sri Lanka to be part
market, accounting for approximately 25% of Sri Lankan
of its Belt and Road Initiative aimed in part at gaining
exports. Sri Lanka’s largest exports are garments, tea,
access to ports in the Indian Ocean to help secure China’s
spices, rubber, gems and jewelry, refined petroleum, fish,
interests along vital sea lanes. China’s presence in Sri
and coconuts/coconut products.
Lanka and elsewhere in the Indian Ocean is causing
increasing concern among some strategic analysts and
The United Nations, Sri Lanka, and Human Rights
policymakers in New Delhi and the United States.
Sri Lanka co-sponsored a U.N. Human Rights Council
resolution on accountability for human rights abuses during
Bruce Vaughn, Specialist in Asian Affairs
the Sri Lanka civil war that was adopted by the Council in
October 2015. The resolution followed the September 2015
IF10213
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Sri Lanka
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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF10213 · VERSION 6 · UPDATED