Gambling Industry In Sri Lanka

4/6/2022

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Sri Lanka

Land
People
Economy
Government and society
Cultural life
History
- Early settlement and the spread of Buddhism
- Early growth and political centralization, c. 200 bce–1255 ce
- Drift to the southwest (1255–1505)
  - Social and economic changes
- The Portuguese in Sri Lanka (1505–1658)
- Dutch rule in Sri Lanka (1658–1796)
- British Ceylon (1796–1900)
- Constitutionalism and nationalism (c. 1900–48)
- The Republic of Sri Lanka
  - Civil war
  - Aftermath and recovery

Sri Lanka’s mineral-extraction industries include mining of gemstones and graphite; excavation of beach sands containing ilmenite and monazite; and quarrying kaolin, apatite, quartz sand, clay, and salt. Among them, gem mining is the most important, producing high-value gemstones such as sapphire, ruby, and topaz, in addition to a variety of semiprecious stones, most of which reach foreign markets. Graphite, ilmenite, and monazite, exported in semiprocessed form, contribute on a small scale to Sri Lanka’s foreign earnings. The other minerals are used locally as raw materials in the manufacturing and construction industries.

Until the late 1970s, manufacturing in Sri Lanka was dominated by several large-scale enterprises developed within the state sector to produce goods such as cement, fabricated steel, ceramics, fuel and lubricant oils, paper, leather, tires, textiles, sugar, and liquor. Only a few factory-based industries, most of them producing light consumer goods, were in private hands.

The liberalization policies adopted in 1977 brought significant changes. Some state-owned industrial enterprises were privatized. Fiscal and other concessions were offered to prospective private investors, particularly to attract foreign investments. These included a package of incentives provided at several investment promotion zones. The low wage rates prevalent in the country were an added attraction to the industrial ventures that responded to these incentives. By the early 1990s new industries employed a work force of more than 70,000 and had nearly equaled tea in gross export earnings. Many of them, however, depend on imported inputs and involve considerable repatriation of profits. Hence, they generate relatively low net returns to the economy.

Find the latest Landcadia Holdings II, Inc. (LCA) stock quote, history, news and other vital information to help you with your stock trading and investing. Sri Lanka Floats Casino Ban For Local Gamblers Sri Lanka’s government has dealt a fresh blow to its gaming industry by proposing a ban on locals from gambling in casinos, but rocketing. Casinos, which are highly regulated in Sri Lanka, have been under fire from the current Government. Earlier this year, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) introduced Customer Due Diligence rules for those carrying on businesses such as casinos and gambling houses, including such business carried out through the internet, which apply when a.

Among the industries that flourished under the liberalization policies was tourism, which, however, remains highly sensitive to political instability. The expansion of tourism, along with the massive irrigation and housing projects undertaken since 1978, have contributed substantially to the growth of the construction industry.

The rivers that cascade down the Central Highlands offer prospects for hydropower development. Some of it is being harnessed at large power stations, including those established under the Mahaweli Development Program. Hydropower provides nearly three-fourths of the country’s electricity supply. Imported crude oil is being converted to gasoline and other petroleum products at the state-owned refinery. Some of these products are reexported. Fuelwood continues to be the major source of energy in rural areas.

Finance

Banking and the issue of currency are controlled by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Until the late 1970s, commercial banking was the near-exclusive monopoly of two state-run banks, the Bank of Ceylon and the People’s Bank. The postliberalization period allowed the establishment of several private commercial banks and an overall expansion in banking, particularly with the government’s decision in 1979 to allow foreign banks to open branches in Sri Lanka. These same trends were replicated in other spheres of commerce such as insurance and wholesale trade in imported goods. The increased participation of the private sector in industry and commerce led to the emergence of a small but vibrant stock market in Colombo.

Trade

Changes in agriculture and industry brought about a decline in the relative importance of plantation products among the exports and of food commodities among the imports. This, however, has not reduced the adverse balance in foreign trade from which the economy continues to suffer. Much of the trade deficit results from transactions with the industrialized countries of Asia, including India, China, and Japan, from which imported manufactured goods originate. Singapore and the United Arab Emirates are also major sources of imports. The United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany are all important export destinations.

Transportation

Road and rail transport accounts for an overwhelmingly large share of the movement of people and commodities within Sri Lanka. In rail transport the government holds a monopoly. Passenger transport by road is shared by the government and the private sector. The private automobile remains a luxury that only the affluent can afford. The bicycle and the bullock cart are important modes of conveyance, especially in rual areas.

SriLankan Airlines (formerly Air Lanka), the national airline, operates regularly between its base at Colombo and dozens of major cities in Asia, Europe, and North America. The seaport of Colombo handles the bulk of Sri Lanka’s shipping, including some transshipments of the Indian ports. International cargo is also handled by the ports at Trincomalee and Galle.

Government and society

Constitutional framework

A representative, democratic system of government has existed in Sri Lanka since the termination of British rule in 1948. Elections are regularly held, and citizens over 18 years of age may vote. Fairly contested elections have resulted in several orderly changes of government since independence.

As provided for by the constitution of 1978, the government is headed by an executive president elected directly by popular vote from a national electorate. The president selects a cabinet of ministers and other noncabinet ministers from the parliament. The president is also the commander in chief of the armed forces—army, navy, and air force.

The national parliament consists of more than 200 members. The system of proportional representation that operates at the elections ensures that the number of parliamentary seats secured by each party is roughly proportional to the number of votes received by the party at the polls.

Sri Lanka’s constitution provides for certain functions of government to be devolved to provincial councils (palāth sabhā). In addition, the country has a system of local government comprising municipal councils and urban councils.

Justice

The independence of Sri Lanka’s judiciary is protected by the constitution. The Supreme Court is the highest appellate court and the final arbiter in constitutional disputes. The Court of Appeal, High Court, district courts, magistrate’s courts, and primary courts occupy, successively, the lower levels of the hierarchy. The common law of Sri Lanka is based largely on Roman-Dutch law. Principles drawn from indigenous legal traditions are applied to aspects of civil law concerning certain communities.

Political process

Among the political parties in Sri Lanka, the conservativeUnited National Party (UNP) and the more liberal Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) have dominated the political arena since independence. A splinter party from the SLFP, known as the Sri Lanka Podujana Peremuna party (SLPP), emerged as a political force after parliament member and former president Mahinda Rajapaksa joined the party in 2018. Successive governments have been led by one of these parties, which, at times, formed coalitions with the smaller parties.

Education

The government controls the educational system and offers free education from primary schools through university levels and in certain professional and technical fields. The country has a relatively well-developed system of primary and secondary education with high rates of student enrollment in most parts of the country. More than 85 percent of the population is literate, giving Sir Lanka one of the highest literacy rates among developing countries. Tertiary education (including universities), however, caters to only the small proportion that completed secondary education. Formal higher education in the country has a strong academic bias, making the large majority of university graduates suitable for only a limited number of white-collar jobs; this has caused widespread frustration, especially among the educated unemployed youth. Major universities include the University of Ruhuna (1978); the University of Jaffna (1974); and the University of Kelaniya and the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, both of which were centres of Buddhist learning until they were elevated to university status in 1959.

Sri Lanka News Update

Health and welfare

In Sri Lanka, government-sponsored health services are free and are delivered through an extensive network of hospitals and dispensaries. Several special campaigns in preventive health care, and a program of family planning—all based on Western medical technology—have significantly improved health conditions in Sri Lanka. These services coexist with a smaller private sector in Western medicine. Several indigenous traditions of curative health care, some of which receive government sponsorship, remain largely in the private sector but play an important role in Sri Lankan medical practices. Practitioners of traditional medicine (ayurveda) outnumber Western-trained physicians. Major health problems include malnutrition and various gastrointestinal infectious diseases.

Source: Daily Mirror

The demand for sex workers is overlooked; laws would protect sex workers from violence and harassment

Despite the reluctance to openly discuss this subject, is evident that sex workers are abundant in contemporary Sri Lanka. Although they are condemned in terms of cultural and religious aspects, their existence cannot be denied. No rational person would take up sex work over the choice of other work. No girl’s ambition is to become a prostitute as she grows. No parent or teacher dreams of a child to sell their bodies. Even in countries where prostitution is legal, there are no institutes to specialise in sex work. Then why is this popular? How come it is trending? It was recently revealed that there are about 50 000 Lankan women engaged in prostitution. Sex workers have become a part of the community and should be given correct attention.

This is quite a sensitive topic and is hard to approach, as the widespread notion is that prostitutes corrupt society and bring negative values to the social structure. While poverty tops the list, coercion and desperation may be other reasons for women to be inclined towards sex work. In many instances the need to provide for children would drive divorced or widowed women opting for sex work. That reasoning goes to the thousands of child-burdened war-widows especially in the North and North-East, who have suddenly become bread winners without education or employable skills. Drugs, human trafficking and failed adolescent experimentation could be other possible rationales. Sex work/ Prostitution is not legalised in Sri Lanka. We are often filled with news about brothels being raided and prostitutes being arrested. Organisations such as Centre for Sex Worker’s Rights (CSWR) and women’s rights activists have been demanding legal rights in order to create a recognised position for them in society.

Should sex workers be given legal recognition or should they continue to be as they are? What are the real reasons behind the demanding of legal rights for sex work? Are there other ways to deal with the destitute situation of women in Sri Lanka? The co-president of the Centre for Sex Worker’s Rights (CSWR) expressed her views on this as follows. “We are labelled as bad women in society. When we are destitute we cannot kill or steal for money like men do. What we can do is sell our bodies. We do it for our children, we do it for ourselves.” “There are many reasons why girls/women have taken up sex work. I have taken this as an occupation because of my husband. My husband passed away many years ago, and I was helpless. I have two sons to nurture and I have to do something to ensure their well being. Their education, health and comfort are the priorities in my mind. I did not know anything about being a prostitute when I started, I was scared, but now I am very happy. There are many families along the coastal belt, across Wellawatta and Dehiwala of which parents cannot afford proper education for their children. Their pretty daughters always tend to resolve to sex work. That is one of the main methods of income for such families”.

When the Daily Mirror inquired whether every female engaged in the sex trade was contet, she assured that they were.

“People have their interests. The availability of a prostitute is a way of satisfying a human desire. If my son wants to have sex, he cannot go to the girl next door. However, he can go to a prostitute to fulfill what he wants easily, where both parties are happy to be with each other. Many little children are raped and abused because men have desires. Establishing prostitution will help reduce social crimes and will create a safe environment for our daughters to go in public.”

Asked about why they demand that sex work should be legalised, she said, “We are labelled as ‘bad women’ in society. No one really understands the situation we have been compelled to be in. When we are destitute we cannot kill or steal for money like men do. What we can do is sell our bodies. We do it for our children, we do it for ourselves. Policemen always look down upon us, arrest us and disgrace us. I have gone to countries like Singapore and Thailand where sex workers are licensed. They treat us with much respect and consider us as ordinary humans. What we asked for was social respect, proper recognition and the right to do our job as we like. We are always cornered, condemned and humiliated in social networks and the media. The demanding of legal rights was the last option we have, then we will not be tainted and regarded as inhuman.”

Political activist Wickramabahu Karunaratne emphasised that justice be given to the existing sex workers in Sri Lanka. “What is poignant about this is the exploitation of these poor women by arresting them when men are left alone although they clearly violate the vagrancy ordinance in other ways. This is what I speak against” – Wickramabahu Karunaratne

“There is no proper law prohibiting sex work in Sri Lanka. What exists is the Brothel Law and the Vagrancy Ordinance (Punishment of persons behaving riotously or disorderly in public streets). The brothel law was formed long time back and does not actively function. It is the Vagrancy Law that is used by law-executing bodies to apprehend sex workers. A majority of women in our country have chosen sex work because of their children. They have no way of leaving their children at home and devote themselves to work 8 hours a day. So they take 2 or 3 hours a day to work as prostitutes. The mode of operation is to loiter in public places. These are the instances where they are subjected to harassment by the police, suppressed and considered as slaves. What is poignant about this is the exploitation of these poor women by arresting them while men are left alone although they clearly violate the Vagrancy Ordinance in other ways. This is what I speak against. I do not specifically request legalisation of prostitution and do not promote it as a profession. However, a set of conditions should be brought in, which has a legal structure to protect their being, paying attention to the miserable, insecure circumstances these women face”.

Mrs. Kumudini Samuel, Coordinator of the Women and Media Collective (WMC) and editor of Women’s Rights Watch about this issue expressed similar views to Wickramabahu Karunaratne, while suggesting how society should change its perspectives.
“Whatever affect sex work has on society has happened by now, as it already exists. Us pretending that it doesn’t is what brings harm to society” – Mrs. Kumudini Samuel

Sri Lanka Tourism Authority

What we need to realise and accept for a fact is that prostitution happens abundantly in Sri Lanka. If it is going to be criminalised, it is definitely going to happen underground. The factor that we overlook is the demand for sex workers. Although society is ready to blame it on the woman, people fail to see their impoverishment. So I believe laws should be brought in to safeguard the woman and ensure their protection in this already existing business. Therefore legal intervention should focus on protecting women from sexual violence and harassment.
When Mrs. Samuel was questioned about what effect lawfully permitting sex work would have on society, she said that it wouldn’t have a strong influence.
“Whatever effect sex work has on society has happened by now, as it already exists. Pretending that it doesn’t is what brings harm to society. We have internalised Victorian mindsets since the time of the English rule although other countries have overcome them. We need to question ourselves and stop acting as if people are not sexually active.

The way to deal with sexual crime is to openly discuss about it and probably include sex education in school curricula. We need to change the attitude of people and their perception about sexuality, by taking a frank approach and not by resorting to a moralistic outlook.

Sri Lanka Travel Restrictions

Speaking of legal implications, Mrs. Samuel firmly stated that the Vagrancy Ordinance should be done away with, as it is often misused. She also said that the Brothel Law should be regulated in a way that both men and women will be protected. Dr. Prathibha Mahanamahewa (attorney at law) and human rights activist spoke of the problems ‘entertainment workers’ come across, sympathising with the circumstances they are confronted with.

“Five star hotels are never examined in search of sex workers, however, the woman who helplessly stands on the street is taken into custody” – Dr. Prathibha Mahanamahewa

“First I would like to revise the term used to define these particular people. I would call them entertainment workers instead of sex workers. Earlier they were referred to as prostitutes, then sex slaves or sex workers, however, in a modern context; the terminology that I prefer to use with respect to their occupation is entertainment workers. I believe they should be given rights as any other worker, as there is no law that exists in Sri Lanka which criminalizes this. However, police arrest women and subject them to humiliation at their own will, which I think should necessarily be spoken against. Five star hotels are never examined in search of sex workers, however, the woman who helplessly stands on the street is taken into custody. I have surveyed the causes for entertainment workers to emerge in our country and as it is obvious, most of them step into the business due to poverty. Most street entertainers have no birth certificate or ID and there are also women who have returned from serving in Middle-East countries who are not issued Grama Niladhari certificates. The government has to take responsibility of these women and give them their rights by recognising their predicament.”