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Sri Lanka

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Sri Lanka. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Colombo

Head of State

President Ranil Wickremesinghe

Head of Government

President Ranil Wickremesinghe

An activist holds up a cardboard cutout depicting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s face with the body of a dog during a demonstration in front of the US Department of State in Washington on Monday. Photo: Reuters

SCMP Highlights

Marcos’ ‘inexcusable’ snub, Japan’s passport puzzle: 7 Asia highlights

From Marcos’ snub of Filipino-Americans to why Japanese are shunning passports, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

29 Jul 2025 - 12:34PM

BYD

How China’s ‘big winner’ BYD conquered Sri Lanka’s car market

26 Jul 2025 - 5:00PMvideocam

Environment

Singapore ship ordered to pay US$1 billion over world’s largest plastic spill

25 Jul 2025 - 8:21AMvideocam

South Korea

‘Unimaginable’: fury as man tied to bricks, lifted by forklift in South Korea

The Sri Lankan worker is reportedly suffering from psychological trauma due to the incident that President Lee called ‘unacceptable’.

24 Jul 2025 - 12:13PM

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has condemned the abuse of a migrant worker and vowed to strengthen protection for vulnerable groups. Photo: AP

Locals' Guide

Insiders’ guide to Sri Lanka’s Southern Province

Galle Fort and the southern beaches are on the itinerary for many visitors, but the surrounding area also has much to offer.

22 Jul 2025 - 10:00PM

Diplomacy

Opinion | Are China, Pakistan, Bangladesh quietly planting region’s new framework?

Kunming trilateral meeting comes as India-Pakistan rivalry paralyses SAARC and Pakistan is frozen out of BIMSTEC, leaving a regional void.

18 Jul 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

Trip Inspiration

For scenery and serenity, Asia’s hilltop hideaways cannot be beaten

From the Himalayas to the misty peaks of Southeast Asia, hilltop villages are an escape from the rigours of modern life and the summer heat.

15 Jul 2025 - 6:15AM

Bamboo baskets of chillies, corn and chrysanthemum petals dry in the sun in Huangling village, in China’s Jiangxi province. Photo: China News Service

Pakistan

48 Chinese among 149 arrested in Pakistan scam centre raid

Citizens from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar were also arrested for allegedly running Ponzi schemes and collecting money illegally from the public.

10 Jul 2025 - 4:50PMvideocam

Donald Trump

Coming apart: Sri Lanka’s garment sector faces crisis under Trump’s 30% tariff

The US buys about 40 per cent of the country’s apparel exports, helping to pull in US$1.9 billion last year.

10 Jul 2025 - 3:18PMvideocam

India

Monsoon chaos grips South Asia as climate change causes erratic rainfall

Hundreds of rain-related deaths have already occurred this year in the region.

10 Jul 2025 - 11:33AMvideocam

People make their way through a waterlogged street during heavy rain in Kolkata, India, on July Tuesday. Photo: EPA

Singapore

Why Singapore refused to be a ‘Third China’ – and how Lee Kuan Yew made it clear

In his new book, veteran editor Cheong Yip Seng recalls how Lee Kuan Yew drew a diplomatic line that defined Singapore’s independent path.

6 Jul 2025 - 9:49AMvideocam

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew delivers a speech at the opening of the Commonwealth Press Union conference on October 15, 1990 in Hong Kong. Photo: AFP

Thailand

Sri Lankan man caught at Thai airport with 3 snakes in his underwear

The suspect, identified as Shehan, was previously caught attempting to traffic exotic animals internationally.

4 Jul 2025 - 5:27PM

India

India’s maritime ambitions expand with Colombo Dockyard acquisition

State-run Mazagon Dock’s takeover of Sri Lanka’s largest shipbuilder signals that India is looking beyond countering China, analysts say.

3 Jul 2025 - 6:30PMvideocam

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong’s strengths lie in bridging East, West amid trade war: finance chief

Financial Secretary Paul Chan stresses investors are showing their confidence with their capital, despite global uncertainties.

25 Jun 2025 - 10:17PM

Financial Secretary Paul Chan has dismissed concerns that the city’s close ties to the mainland could deter investors. Photo: SCMP

War and conflict

UN rebukes Sri Lanka for not punishing war criminals

Despite past pledges, successive governments have resisted calls to investigate horrific abuses committed during its long ethnic conflict.

25 Jun 2025 - 1:00PM

Sri Lankan troops walk among debris in a war zone during the final days of the Tamil separatist war on the Indian Ocean island in 2009. Photo: Sri Lanka Defence Ministry / AFP

Diplomacy

Will Sri Lanka and China push for FTA or just engage in economic diplomacy?

Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao has called for a comprehensive free-trade agreement between the two countries ‘in one package’.

6 Jun 2025 - 3:40PMvideocam

Jobs

Sri Lanka workers in limbo after UK garment factory abruptly shuts

Labour rights advocates say Next Manufacturing’s move violated Sri Lankan law and risks undermining the country’s fragile economic recovery.

30 May 2025 - 2:24PM

India

Sri Lanka walks the tightrope between US-backed India and China-backed Pakistan

As a small state lodged between superpowers, Sri Lanka cannot afford to take sides in the India-Pakistan conflict, analysts say.

22 May 2025 - 7:54PMvideocam

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (left) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi converse at the President’s House in New Delhi, India on December 16 last year. Photo: EPA-EFE

Asia travel

Where to catch the most photogenic beach sunsets in Asia

If you’re chasing the perfect sunset shot, head to one of these Asian beaches, all of which offer social media gold.

15 May 2025 - 5:02PM

Japan

Brazilian F1 fan’s death in Japan stirs nationalistic debate on foreign crime

Influencer Amanda Borges da Silva had posted about how much she loved Japan and told her mother that she felt safe in the country.

8 May 2025 - 3:48PM

Asia travel

7 things to see and do around historic Galle Fort in Sri Lanka

Turtles, a temple, tuna pizza, tea so fine it was once reserved for Chinese emperors, Galle Fort and its surroundings has all these and more.

2 May 2025 - 7:43PM

Tea plantations at Handunugoda tea estate near Koggala, Sri Lanka.

Crime

Buddha tooth relic photo sparks Sri Lankan police investigation

Photography is prohibited during the viewing of the highly venerated relic, which went on display this month for the first time since 2009.

20 Apr 2025 - 6:41PM

Security officials help devotees avoid chaos during a gathering for a public exposition of the sacred Tooth relic of the Buddha at the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy on Friday. Photo: AFP

Asia travel

6 of Asia’s most scenic golf clubs for non-members

Fancy hitting the fairways while on holiday? Here’s our rundown of the best publicly accessible golf courses in Asia.

18 Apr 2025 - 7:00AM

Japan

Japan faces demand for full footage over death of Sri Lankan woman from family

Wishma Sandamali suffered from ill health and lost more than 20kg while in detention in Nagoya for months before she died in 2021.

4 Apr 2025 - 1:52PMvideocam

Diplomacy

India and Sri Lanka set to sign defence pact amid China’s rising regional clout

Both sides are also expected to sign agreements on the development of solar power plants and trade cooperation in several sectors.

3 Apr 2025 - 8:22AMvideocam

Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (right) and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi pose for photos ahead of their meeting in New Delhi in December. Photo: Reuters

Mergers & Acquisitions

Hutchison says it is evaluating spin-off of global telecoms business

‘From time to time, the [group] receives proposals and explores and evaluates opportunities that may be available,’ Hutchison said in a statement.

31 Mar 2025 - 10:40PM

A branch of CK Hutchison’s Three cellular telecommunications network in the United Kingdom. Photo: CK Hutchison

Profile

This museum director built her life on art, music and islands

Suhanya Raffel, museum director of M+ in Hong Kong, has a passion for building world-class institutions, and despite identifying as ‘many things’, is a Hongkonger at heart.

19 Mar 2025 - 3:10PM

Trending in China

Chinese tourist critical as she leans from train for photos, strikes tunnel wall

Daredevil holidaymakers who dice with death while travelling on railways overseas are hit with travel safety warning by Chinese authorities.

13 Mar 2025 - 6:00PM

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