Updated December 4, 2019
Sri Lanka
Background and Historical Setting
including efforts to reduce the authority of the executive
The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, known as
presidency.
Ceylon until 1972, is a constitutional democracy in South
Sirisena’s governing coalition began to fracture after a poor
Asia with relatively high levels of development. It is
strategically located in the Indian Ocean off the
Figure 1. Sri Lanka In Brief
southeastern tip of India’s Deccan Peninsula. 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 succession
by the Portuguese, Dutch, and English.
Although Ceylon gained its independence from Britain
peacefully in 1948, succeeding decades were marred by
ethnic conflict between the country’s Sinhalese majority,
clustered in the densely populated South and West, and the
largely Hindu Tamil minority living in the North and East.
Following independence, the Tamils—who had attained
educational and civil service positions under the British—
increasingly faced discrimination from the Sinhalese-
dominated government, which made Sinhala the sole
official language and gave preferences to Sinhalese in
university admissions and government jobs. The Sinhalese,

performance in the February 2018 local elections, losing
who had deeply resented British favoritism toward the
out to the newly-formed Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna
Tamils, saw themselves not only as the majority in Sri
(SLPP) party, which capitalized on rising Sinhalese ethnic
Lanka, but also as a minority in a larger regional context
nationalism. In late 2018, Sirisena sparked a political crisis
that includes over 60 million Tamils in southern India.
when he tried unsuccessfully to dismiss then-Prime
Civil War and Subsequent Political
Minister Wickremesinghe of the opposition United National
Developments
Party (UNP), and replace him with Mahinda Rajapaksa.
For 26 years, from 1983 to 2009, Tamil militant separatist
The 2019 Presidential Election
group the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) sought
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, brother of former President and
to establish a separate state or internal self-rule in the
current Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa (in office from
Tamil-dominated areas of Sri Lanka. Political, social, and
2005 to 2015), was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new president
economic development was constrained by the ethnic
in November 2019. Gotabaya won the election with 52.3%
conflict and war between the government and the LTTE,
of total votes, while his main political rival, Sajith
which cost an estimated 70,000-130,000 lives.
Premedasa of the UNP, received 42% of the vote. The
After a violent end to the civil war in May 2009, when the
Rajapaksas’ political base is expected to be further
military crushed LTTE forces and precipitated a
strengthened in 2020 when the SLPP is projected by
humanitarian emergency in Sri Lanka’s Tamil-dominated
observers to win a majority of seats in parliament. Gotabaya
north, attention turned to whether the government had the
Rajapaksa campaigned heavily on a platform of national
ability and intention to build a stable peace in Sri Lanka.
security, pledging to suppress Islamist extremism. His key
Former President and current Prime Minister Mahinda
base of support is the Sinhalese Buddhist majority. Most
Rajapaksa, elected in 2005, faced criticism for an allegedly
Tamils, who are largely Hindu or Christian, as well as most
insufficient response to reported war crimes by government
Muslims voted for his opponent. Former Prime Minister
forces, a nepotistic and ethnically biased government,
Ranil Wickremesinghe of the UNP announced his
increasing restrictions on media, and uneven economic
resignation following the election. This move opened the
development. In the January 2015 presidential election,
way for Gotabaya to select his brother as prime minister.
Mahinda was defeated by Maithripala Sirisena.
Many observers fear that Gotabaya’s election could lead to
Parliamentary elections later in 2015 led to the formation of
a unity government supportive of Sirisena’s reform agenda,
a return to nepotistic and authoritarian style government
and an end to the limited democratic reforms and limited
reconciliation measures with the ethnic Tamil community
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Sri Lanka
that occurred under former President Sirisena. Gotabaya is
Commissioner for Human Rights Investigation on Sri
reportedly seeking to repeal the 19th Amendment, a key
Lanka and was viewed by many at the time as a positive
reform of the previous government that curtails some of the
step toward justice in Sri Lanka. Following the adoption of
powers of the president and makes the office more
the resolution, however, former President Sirisena backed
accountable to parliament. For the location of his swearing-
away from supporting any significant involvement of
in ceremony, Gotabaya chose a sacred Buddhist shrine in
international judges in a special judicial mechanism to
the ancient capital of Anuradhapura. The shrine
prosecute war crimes. The High Commissioner for Human
commemorates the defeat in 140 BC of King Elara, a Tamil
Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, noted steps taken by Sri
Hindu king, by the Buddhist King Dutugemunu.
Lanka, but also called for a transitional justice mechanism
to deal with past human rights abuses. An Office of Missing
The context for the Presidential election was at least
partially set by the April 2019 “Easter bombings” that
Persons was established, and a Right to Information law
was passed during Sirisena’s term of office. Observers
killed over 250 people at several churches and hotels in Sri
believe President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be reluctant to
Lanka and highlighted security failures of the Sirisena
fulfill previous commitments made to the U.N. Human
government. As a result, security was a key theme in the
Rights Council relating to a transitional justice agenda.
election, which played in favor of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a
Tensions between Sinhalese and Muslim groups led to a
former Secretary of Defense who is credited by many
wave of violence and a state of emergency in the Kandy
Sinhalese with playing a central role in defeating the
District in March 2018. Ongoing human rights concerns
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009 and
ending the country’s 26
include unlawful killings, torture, sexual abuse, arbitrary
-year-long civil war.
detention, and violence against LGBTI persons.
U.S.-Sri Lanka Relations
Strategic Setting
Historically, U.S. policy towards Sri Lanka has included
Sri Lanka is situated near strategically important sea lanes
focus on supporting Sri Lanka’s democratic institutions,
that transit the Indian Ocean. These lanes link the energy-
encouraging its economic development and promoting
rich Persian Gulf with the economies of Asia. Maritime
human rights. U.S. policy has also promoted bilateral trade
trade is increasingly integrating the Indian and Pacific
and addressed regional geopolitical dynamics. Through
Oceans’ littoral regions. Sri Lanka and India share close,
foreign aid and diplomacy, the United States has supported
long-standing historical, cultural, and religious ties. India
initiatives intended to strengthen governance, democratic
became entangled in the counter-insurgency war against the
reform, rule of law, and human rights in Sri Lanka. The
LTTE following the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement.
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has
Between 1987 and 1990, India lost over 1,200 soldiers in
maintained a presence in Sri Lanka since 1948. The United
States is Sri Lanka’s single largest market, accounting for
this conflict, and then-Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
was killed by an LTTE suicide bomber in 1991.
approximately 25% of Sri Lankan exports. Sri Lanka’s
largest exports are garments, tea, spices, rubber, gems and
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with President
jewelry, refined petroleum, fish, and coconuts/coconut
Gotabaya Rajapaksa in November 2019 in an effort to
products.
improve bilateral ties. A $400 million loan for
infrastructure projects and a $50 million loan for security
Following the Easter 2019 bombings of several churches
assistance reportedly were offered by Modi. India, along
and hotels in Colombo, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
with the United States, has been an active voice for
declared, “We stand with the Sri Lankan government and
reconciliation and fair elections.
people as they confront violent extremism and have offered
our assistance as they work to bring the perpetrators to
While a candidate, Gotabaya stated he would “restore
justice.” U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina Teplitz also
relations” with China, which were not as close under
told reporters that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation
Sirisena as they were under Mahinda Rajapaksa. Under
and the military are supporting the investigation into the
Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidency, there was concern over
bombings.
Sri Lanka’s deepening relationship with China, including
Three key aspects of the U.S.-Sri Lanka bilateral
China’s 2014 naval submarine visit to Sri Lanka. Beijing
relationship include an Acquisition and Cross Servicing
has invested significantly in Sri Lanka’s infrastructure. In
Agreement between the United States and Sri Lanka, which
2017, Sri Lanka leased port facilities at Hambantota to
was signed in 2017; a new Status of Forces Agreement,
China for 99 years for an estimated $1.1 billion. China’s
which the two sides have been negotiating since 2018; and
activities in Sri Lanka are called part of Beijing’s Belt and
the implementation of the Millennium Challenge
Road Initiative aimed in part at gaining access to ports in
Corporation Compact, which was negotiated with the
the Indian Ocean to help secure China’s interests along vital
Sirisena government and approved in April, 2019.
sea lanes. China’s largely economic and investment
presence in Sri Lanka—and elsewhere in the Indian
The United Nations, Sri Lanka, and
Ocean—is causing increasing concern among some
Human Rights
strategic analysts and policymakers in Washington, New
Sri Lanka co-sponsored a U.N. Human Rights Council
Delhi, and other capitals.
resolution on accountability for human rights abuses during
the Sri Lanka civil war that was adopted by the Council in
Bruce Vaughn, Specialist in Asian Affairs
October 2015. The resolution followed the September 2015
IF10213
publication of the Report of the U.N. Office of the High


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Sri Lanka


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