Most of the abandoned building that the current administration had repurposed for national interest ventures are closed and in disrepair. Many heritage buildings have become havens for criminals and drug addicts, while furniture and other assets have been stolen. Former lawmakers and scholars are calling for urgent action before the deterioration becomes irreversible.

Originally from southern India, the ethnic Malaiyaha Makkal families, risk losing their home. "We have nowhere to go,” they told AsiaNews. After decades of working without social security protections, the new owner, a resident of the United States, announced the sale of the land and ordered the residents to leave within three months. For the NGO Voice of Plantation People, it is a question of humanity.

Seven out of every 100 couples on the island are related by blood. The figure drops to 4% among Sinhalese and Muslims, but reaches almost 25% among Tamils. Among the most sensitive diseases is thalassaemia, present in 50% of children born to blood relatives among the Tamils. The defence of the land and ancestral traditions fuel marriages within the family.

Entitled ‘Reconciliation through understanding the Dharma’, it recounts the life and teachings of the prophet Muhammad. There are no comprehensive books on Islam in Sinhala. Rasmi Abdurrahman, lecturer: ‘It is precisely because of a lack of proper understanding that we are victims of crimes and deprivation.’ Guests of honour included Rev. Pannila Sri Ananda Thero and members of parliament.

The Archbishop of Colombo made an appeal to this end during celebrations for the anniversary of the founding of the broadcaster TV Derana. Sri Lankans, who today struggle hard to earn a living, must learn to discern which influences are positive or negative, without passively accepting everything that comes from abroad.

The Colombo government has launched a plan to build the facility on the northern island, where it still takes seven hours and sky-high prices to deliver the fuel that powers the electricity generators. ‘It is part of the effort to bridge the gaps and develop the economy in peripheral areas.’ But environmentalists are concerned about the impact on the fragile ecosystem, which is still home to a large population of wild horses.