Sri Lanka
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Asia
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Geography
Area: 65,610 sq km
Large island 80 km southeast of India.
Population: 20,409,946 Annual Growth: 0.88%
Capital: Colombo
Urbanites: 15.1%
HDI Rank: 102 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Official language: Sinhala and Tamil, with English as the link language Languages: 7 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Buddhist
| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 1,710,353 | 8.38 | 0.8 |
| Evangelicals | 242,965 | 1.2 | 2.3 |
| Buddhist | 14,291,044 | 70.02 |
Answer to Prayer
The end of the civil war came amid much violence and probably human rights violations; but effectively removing the threat of the Tamil Tigers can potentially spell a new era for Sri Lanka, one that will involve safety, stability and the free and open movement of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A sense of peace and freedom of movement now prevails. For an additional 3 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
a) A resolution of the long-term conflict between Tamils and Sinhalese. Defeating the LTTE as a force means little if enmity, resentment and rebellion are still brewing. Key players are the Sri Lankan government, the former LTTE core members, the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora and even India and China. Power sharing may be the only way to long-term peace. A new constitution is being considered, one to resolve ethnic antipathy and return the nation to a more secular status with no religious favouritism. Pray that wise heads may prevail, and that peace, reconciliation and freedom for religious minorities might take precedence over ethnocentrism, prejudice and pride.
b) A government that will work toward transparency, justice and the fair representation of all communities and their civil, economic and religious rights. Corruption and nepotism are too common. Post-2009, courageous decisions have been and will need to be made to oversee the healthy stewardship and development of this nation.
c) The handling of immense human needs in the aftermath of the civil war. Former LTTE fighters need to be reintegrated into society, the many injured and maimed government soldiers must be rehabilitated and given new vocations, orphans and widows must be cared for and half a million who were displaced need to be returned to their homes to rebuild their lives.
d) The fight against the many growing social ills:
i The plight of children – malnutrition, selective abortion/female infanticide or abandonment, abuse (including sexual abuse) and child prostitution (including sex tourism) are evils that are sadly making names for themselves in Sri Lanka.
ii Sri Lankans working abroad, especially in the Middle East and Gulf regions, are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, especially since most of them are female domestic helpers. There are up to 700,000 such women willing to endure the risk in order to earn enough to send remittances home. Their absence is often very difficult on the children they leave behind.
iii Threats to traditional Sri Lankan cultureinclude alcoholism, suicide, casual violence and rape.
For an additional 10 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
Challenge for Prayer
Sri Lanka has suffered much in the past generation. From the constant threat of the Sinhala-Tamil conflict to the tsunami of 2004 to the civil war’s bloody conclusion in 2009, over 100,000 people have lost their lives, over 900,000 (mostly Tamils) emigrated or fled and over one million are displaced. Points for prayer:a) A resolution of the long-term conflict between Tamils and Sinhalese. Defeating the LTTE as a force means little if enmity, resentment and rebellion are still brewing. Key players are the Sri Lankan government, the former LTTE core members, the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora and even India and China. Power sharing may be the only way to long-term peace. A new constitution is being considered, one to resolve ethnic antipathy and return the nation to a more secular status with no religious favouritism. Pray that wise heads may prevail, and that peace, reconciliation and freedom for religious minorities might take precedence over ethnocentrism, prejudice and pride.
b) A government that will work toward transparency, justice and the fair representation of all communities and their civil, economic and religious rights. Corruption and nepotism are too common. Post-2009, courageous decisions have been and will need to be made to oversee the healthy stewardship and development of this nation.
c) The handling of immense human needs in the aftermath of the civil war. Former LTTE fighters need to be reintegrated into society, the many injured and maimed government soldiers must be rehabilitated and given new vocations, orphans and widows must be cared for and half a million who were displaced need to be returned to their homes to rebuild their lives.
d) The fight against the many growing social ills:
i The plight of children – malnutrition, selective abortion/female infanticide or abandonment, abuse (including sexual abuse) and child prostitution (including sex tourism) are evils that are sadly making names for themselves in Sri Lanka.
ii Sri Lankans working abroad, especially in the Middle East and Gulf regions, are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, especially since most of them are female domestic helpers. There are up to 700,000 such women willing to endure the risk in order to earn enough to send remittances home. Their absence is often very difficult on the children they leave behind.
iii Threats to traditional Sri Lankan cultureinclude alcoholism, suicide, casual violence and rape.
For an additional 10 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Sri Lanka.
