Sri Lanka's military victory over a 26-year long insurgency has come at a high cost to the nation's economy. With the war over, many Sri Lankans are now turning their attention to rebuilding the country's battered economy.
斯里兰卡为长达26年的内战付出了高昂的经济代价。随着战争的结束，人们的注意力开始转移到重建曾经饱受重创的经济。
A high-end fashion store in the heart of Colombo once thrived on the thousands of foreign tourists who came here every year. Now, the only foreigners browsing the clothing racks are usually aid workers, diplomats or journalists.
这是一家座落在科伦坡市中心的高档时装店，过去，每年前来旅游的外国游客曾经令这家商店生意兴隆。可是现在，光顾这家店的外国人不过是些救援人员、外交官和记者。
The decline in tourism - one of Sri Lanka's biggest sources of foreign revenue - is just one of the financial hardships the country has faced during its long civil war. The Inflation rate is in the double digits. The country is facing budget shortfalls and high trade deficits. Defense spending is at an all-time high.
旅游业是斯里兰卡外汇收入的最大来源之一，而旅游业的衰败仅仅是斯里兰卡在长期内战中面对的财政困境之一。斯里兰卡的通货膨胀率是两位数字，而且还面临预算短缺和高额贸易逆差等。在另一方面，防务开支则创下了历史新高。
Residents confident about future
But, with the war over, many Sri Lankans express confidence that this Indian Ocean island of 21 million people will bounce back as one of South Asia's economic jewels.
不过，随着战争结束，很多斯里兰卡人有信心将这个有2千1百万人口的印度洋岛国重建为南亚经济的一颗明珠。
One of them is Channa Banduthilake, the store's manager.
这家时装店经理班杜提雷克就是他们中的一人。
"The country has been suffering for the past 30 years. Now that is over, I do not think it is correct of any one of us to expect a massive boom in the next two or three days," he said.
他说：“斯里兰卡在过去30年里饱经苦难。虽然现在结束了，但我们大家也都明白，经济不会在两、三天里就出现奇迹。”
He says it will take at least another two or three years for the economy to recover.
他说，至少还需要2、3年的时间才能让经济恢复过来。
But the Sri Lankan stock market had a big boost this week, with stocks climbing more than 23 percent - a gain that many economists here attribute to post-war euphoria.
不过斯里兰卡的股市本周却以百分之23以上的幅度急速上扬，很多经济学家认为，牛市得益于战后的乐观情绪。
Business counting on government help
Still, many business leaders in Sri Lanka are counting on their government to help the economic recovery.
Kishu Gomes is a business leader in Colombo and a former head of the Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce.
戈梅斯是科伦坡商界领导人，曾经担任过斯里兰卡商会会长。
"I believe that government will have to play a key role. Not many business organizations would be willing to make investments to get back in their livelihoods. I do not think business organizations have the capacity to do that," he said.
他说：“我认为政府将发挥关键作用。没有多少工商界愿意投资，他们也没有这种能力。”
Cash reserves low
Part of the reason they do not have that capacity is because the country is in serious financial trouble.
工商界无能为力也是因为斯里兰卡目前正深受金融危机的打击。
Sri Lanka's foreign cash reserves are low - too low, some economists say.
斯里兰卡外汇储备十分不足，有些经济学者甚至认为斯里兰卡外汇储备过低。
It owes nearly $1 billion in foreign debt this year, and is having trouble generating revenues. Its biggest exports such as tea, coffee and textiles have been hit by the global economic downturn.
今年斯里兰卡欠下的外债将近十亿美元。它已经很难创造财税收入。这个国家最大的出口是茶叶、咖啡和纺织品。但是这些产品都受到全球经济衰退的冲击。
Country seeks IMF bailout
Sri Lanka is seeking a $1.9 billion bailout by the International Monetary Fund. But the United States and Britain want to tie the funds to Sri Lanka's handling of human rights abuses and its treatment of the nearly 300,000 war-displaced civilians, mostly Tamils, in government-run relief camps in the north.
斯里兰卡希望得到国际货币基金19亿美元的救援贷款。但是美国和英国要把贷款跟斯里兰卡处理侵犯人权行为和对待将近30万流离失所者的方式联系起来。这些人大部分是泰米尔人，这些平民目前都住在北部政府难民营里。
Sri Lankan human rights minister, Mahinda Samarasinghe, says his government is committed to resettling most of the displaced within the first year. He says the country needs them to help rebuild the north after a quarter-century of war.
"The economic downturns we have had to face as a result of this instability, we have learned a lot of lessons. We are going to work very hard to ensure that the mistakes that were made in the past will not be made again. And the final objective is to unite all our people and give them a better life in the future," he said.
Tamils are important contributers to economy
Among those mistakes, he says, is alienating many in the Tamil community - both here and abroad - who can contribute to the country's economic recovery.
Even with an annual per capita income at $1,400, Sri Lanka is more prosperous than India, its northern neighbor and a rising star in South Asia's economy.
尽管斯里兰卡人的人均年收入不过一千四百美元，但是它还是比它的北方邻国印度更繁荣。斯里兰卡经济在南亚地区算是增长很快的。
But, the big hope of many in the business community is a revival of tourism and the money that could bring. Business leaders say they are pinning their hopes on a rediscovery of one of Sri Lanka's most famous treasures: its endless sun-drenched, white-sand beaches.
但是，许多商界人士希望，恢复斯里兰卡的旅游业，以此创造收益。商界领袖说，他们把希望寄托在恢复斯里兰卡最有名的财富上。这个财富就是无边无际的、阳光明媚的白沙滩。 |