Comparative Studies in the Ethnic Problem between Sri Lanka and Malaysia

Abstract

There is now a very wide economic gap between Sri Lanka and Malaysia. In 1990 the per capita GNP was 418 US$ in Sri Lanka, 2710 US£ or some 6.5 times higher in Malaysia.
The main cause of this gap is the disparity in the social stability of the two countries, which consists of two aspects: differences in economic conditions and the ethnic problem. This paper will be limited to the discussion of the ethnic problem which is now affecting the social conditions of both countries in various ways. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the elements of the ethnic problem by analyzing the differences in this problem in the two countries.