Women in Sri Lanka have long been banned from buying alcohol and working in bars and liquor stores. The government lifted the ban, only to reverse its decision less than a week later.
Sri Lanka woman holding up a tea cocktailImage: Getty Images/AFP/L. Wanniarachchi
Advertisement
Sri Lanka reimposed a nearly four-decade old ban on women buying alcohol on Sunday, only days after Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said the ban was over.
"I spoke with the finance minister... prime minister, and several other ministers and asked them to cancel [the lifting of the ban] immediately," President Maithripala Sirisena said at an election rally.
The dominantly Buddhist nation of 21 million is preparing for local elections in February.
Women have been banned from purchasing alcohol and working in places that produce or sell it, such as bars and liquor stores, since 1979.
The nation's finance ministry announced the lifting of the ban last week, apparently responding to the pressure from the Sri Lankan tourist industry, who requested the change in order to allow female foreign tourists to buy alcohol. The finance ministry also extended bar hours.
Sri Lanka - Moving into a new era
While Sri Lanka struggles to cope with the effects of a 26-year civil war, people there are focusing on a new beginning. Tourism is seen as the sunrise industry.
Image: DW/Miriam Klaussner
Education at all cost
Sri Lanka's hopes lie with its children. Since the war ended children have attended school regularly. Most of them receive private tutoring which is often regarded as necessary for pupils to make it through high school. Parents attach great importance to education. This is why they scratch together enough money to pay for private tuition, although they often don't make more than four euros a day.
Image: DW/Miriam Klaussner
Expanding the rail network
The country's rail network has been expanding over the past years. Even intercity trains can reach locations at altitudes of more than one kilometer. Nowadays most people visit the renowned tea plantations in Nuwara Eliya by train. Moreover, public transportation is heavily subsidized with a second class train ticket costing about one euro for a 100-kilometer journey. Bus rides are even cheaper.
Image: DW/Miriam Klaussner
Meager wages in plantations
Ceylon tea is a highly profitable export good. It ranks alongside textiles, jewels, gems, tobacco and coconut products as one of the country's most important economic sectors. Sri Lanka is the world's second largest exporter of tea behind Kenya. But while it is a lucrative business, tea pluckers earn almost nothing, namely just around 3.50 euros a day.
Image: DW/Miriam Klaussner
Pride in religion
Regardless of whether you are sitting in a bus or a tuk tuk, you will be surrounded by gods. Hindus, Buddhists, Catholics and Muslims take pride in showing their religious symbols. About 70 percent of Sri Lankans are Buddhist, nearly 15 percent are Hindu, ten percent are Muslim and five percent are Christian.
Image: DW/Miriam Klaussner
Communities living side-by-side
Religious communities in the South Asian country coexist and respect each other. In many places you will find Buddhist pagodas standing alongside Hindu temples. You can listen to muezzins calling for prayer and Christians using loudspeakers during mass.
Image: DW/Miriam Klaussner
Yes to gossip, no to news
From the latest scandals in Bollywood to the most expensive weddings of the year: Sri Lankan media is full of gossip. What you will not find are independent political newspapers. The country ranked 162nd in this year's "Press Freedom Index" by Reporters Without Borders. Out of fear of repercussions, government-critical media outlets tend to impose self-censorship.
Image: DW/Miriam Klaussner
An essential industry
This is one of the country's 150,000 women who sew clothing for little money. The textile industry remains one of Sri Lanka's top sectors, despite facing tough competition from countries like Bangladesh. It contributes 45 percent of the country's foreign exchange revenue. There are currently some 300 textile factories, most of which were built in the 1990s.
Image: DW/Miriam Klaussner
Raising awareness
It is a start: Sri Lankans have begun recycling plastic bottles. However, you won't find any trash cans in many places. Environmental protection here is in its infancy. But firms such as the eco-friendly hotel chain Jetwing have taken the lead and started partnerships with schools to raise environmental awareness. The hope is that pupils will pass on the information to their parents.
Image: DW/Miriam Klaussner
Beach boys
They speak some English, are young and good-looking. Armed with a few charming phrases they are on the lookout for Western female tourists. Their hunting ground is the beach. Their main incentive is to have fun and earn some cash. Some dream of getting a visa to travel to the West. Beach boys are considered entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka, a country where there are no brothels, unlike in Thailand.
Image: DW/Miriam Klaussner
Higher, faster, farther
The construction industry on the island is booming. From highways, to airports and countless hotels: the government is creating the necessary infrastructure to receive more than two million tourists every year in the near future; over 1.3 million people are expected to visit the country this year alone.
Image: DW/Miriam Klaussner
Local tourism
They come with their families and marvel at the landscape. For most Sri Lankan tourists, this is their first time on this beach in Arugam Bay. During the 26-year civil war it was practically impossible for most people to travel to the east and north coast of the country. Travelers would normally be stopped and questioned at one of the many checkpoints near the coastline.
Image: DW/Miriam Klaussner
11 images1 | 11
At the same time, the authorities kept the legal restriction from selling alcohol to police and security forces members in uniform.
"The idea was to restore gender neutrality," ministry spokesman Ali Hassen said on Wednesday.
Opposition politicians criticized the move, however, saying it would threaten the nation's Buddhist values. The National Movement for Consumer Rights Protection also accused the finance minister of encouraging drinking, and urged President Sirisena to restore the restrictions.