According to CBSL data, declared exports of precious stones in 2024 were less than £382 million. However, the value is much higher for unaccounted exports and clandestine trade. The main destinations are Hong Kong, Thailand and Dubai. Experts find it difficult to intervene because those responsible ‘enjoy political protection’.
For more than a year, a shipment of Tamil translations of the Islamic holy text from a Saudi foundation has been blocked in a container. The detention was reportedly requested by an official from the Ministry of Defence. Muslim MPs: ‘Discrimination on religious and linguistic grounds’.
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.
