Reportage
Sri Lanka: in Kandy, traders are torn between dismay and a desire to leave
Audio 01:33
A street in the tourist town of Kandy in Sri Lanka (illustration image).
AP - Eranga Jayawardena
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
With a foreign exchange deficit, unable to import goods and provide essential services to the population, Sri Lanka has become synonymous with total bankruptcy.
Shortages of medicines, supply problems, dry petrol pumps, galloping inflation, the population lives to the rhythm of deprivation and incessant power cuts.
In Kandy, a tourist hotspot in the center of the country, traders are torn between dismay and the desire to leave.
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With our special correspondent in Kandy,
Jelena Tomic
Generators are running at full speed in the commercial center of the former Sri Lankan capital.
Some shops that cannot afford diesel are plunged into darkness.
Like this souvenir shop, illuminated by employees for the curious who venture there, using a mobile phone.
The owner is pessimistic.
“
The situation right now is dire.
I don't see many tourists.
Today only two tourists entered my shop and some locals.
I don't like to talk too much about politics,
concedes the trader.
At school, I studied the French Revolution.
In 1789 Marie Antoinette had said, "
if they have no bread let them eat brioche
", while people were suffering.
The story repeats itself.
What I mean is that a lot of rich people don't realize that they can lose their superpower overnight
.
A little further Afthar 24 years old is bored in front of his shoe store.
“
It's hard life here.
I would like to go anywhere, but I have no money.
I can fix cars, I can do lots of other things.
The wages here are too low.
I will demonstrate but only on Sundays when I am not working.
Power is not good, they make money but only to fill their pockets.
For me the only solution is to take a passport and leave here.
»
►Also read: Sri Lanka: tourism hard hit by the political and economic crisis
Emigration from Sri Lanka is massive, in the last three months more than 100,000 migrants have left to work abroad, especially in Qatar.
An increase of 286% compared to last year.
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Sri Lanka
Economic crisis
Economy