The first Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B. Buddhism was introduced circa B. In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty established a Tamil kingdom in northern Sri Lanka. The Portuguese controlled the coastal areas of the island in the 16th century followed by the Dutch in the 17th century.
The island was ceded to the British in , became a crown colony in , and was formally united under British rule by As Ceylon, it became independent in ; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in Prevailing tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in July Although Norway brokered peace negotiations that led to a ceasefire in , the fighting slowly resumed and was again in full force by His regime faced significant allegations of human rights violations and a shrinking democratic space for civil society.
However, implementation of these reforms has been uneven. Sri Lanka is attempting to sustain economic growth while maintaining macroeconomic stability under the IMF program it began in The government's high debt payments and bloated civil service, which have contributed to historically high budget deficits, remain a concern.
In the coming years, Sri Lanka will need to balance its elevated debt repayment schedule with its need to maintain adequate foreign exchange reserves. In , Parliament passed a new Inland Revenue Act in an effort to increase tax collection and broaden the tax base in response to recommendations made under its IMF program.
In November , the Financial Action Task Force on money laundering and terrorist financing listed Sri Lanka as non-compliant, but reported subsequently that Sri Lanka had made good progress in implementing an action plan to address deficiencies. Tourism has experienced strong growth in the years since the resolution of the government's year conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. In , the government promulgated plans to transform the country into a knowledge-based, export-oriented Indian Ocean hub by South Asia :: Sri Lanka.
