|
New
practise for visa extentions?
(01.11.2006)
If you want to stay more then 30 day
you definitely should get a 90 day visa
at the Sri Lankan Embassy of your home
country!
...more
Security
- no problem
(01.11.2006)
Almost No crime
Crimes
against foreigner are very, very rare.
Compared to other tropical countries
Sri Lanka is the by far most peaceful
and safe place to live. Organized crime
doesn't like the tourist areas of Sri
Lanka - it's too small and there are
too few tourists. Fortunately there
is no night life and no prostitution
in Sri Lanka. The government does a
good job to expell the russian and chinese
pimps and prostitute who try to establish
their business in Colombo. All the tightening
of visa regulations in the last few
years are targeted at this!
And it's very difficult to get a liquor
license - that's why you don't see many
bars on the beach.
This attitude against prostitution and
alcohol makes Sri Lanka very unattractive
for criminals and semi-criminals from
all over the world. That's why the foreign
residents almost all are decent and
straight people from 45 - 75 years who
just want to live a quiet peaceful live.
Not affected by terrorism
Many people who are not familiar with
Sri Lanka are afraid of terrorist attacs.
They don't need to!
Since the fighting between the Tamil
Tigers and the Sri Lanka army startet
in the north and east in 1982 tourists
never have been a target - unlike in
Bali or Egypt for instance. Foreign
residents have lived in Sri Lanka during
about 20 years of continuous fighting
and had no problems themselves. Why?
Because the north and east are 10 hours
by bus away from where tourists live.
Only that no bus is going there. The
areas are closed, the roads are blocked.
There have been very few comparatively
small bomb attacks in the last 25 years.
Some in Colombo (which has a rather
tight and well working security concept
since quite a few years), most close
to the troublesome parts of the country
(where you wouldn't even accidently
be) and exactly one in the southwest
(boat from the sea attacks high security
military harbour - even if you had tried
hard you would have had no chance to
get involved). The risk for foreigners
has always been very, very low.
In daily practise you only read of the
trouble but you don't feel it. Just
like at home. The risk of getting in
the line is definitely lower than the
risk of your holiday plane crashing
into the ocean or to get hit by lightning
in a summer storm - which means: you
really don't have to be afraid.
100
m coastal construction ban lifted
(Following text was found
on the official Sri Lankan Government
website www.ejustice.lk
on 09.11.2005)
"Government
of Sri Lanka lifts the construction
ban in 100 m coastal zone. The Govt.
has decided to revise the 100/200 metre
buffer zone implemented for the coastal
belt of tsunami affected areas following
the 2004 December tsunami devastations
with immediate effect.
Under this new set of rules envisaged
by the Government this buffer zone has
been reduced to a range between
55-25 meters in the Southern
Districts and 100 to 50 meters in the
North East.
Centre for Environmental Justice filed
a law suit in the Court of Appeal against
the Cost conservation Department(CCD)
to protect 10 meter -140 meter wide
coastal belt which was identified by
the CCD since 1997 after considering
number of scientific parameters.
16/10/2005
100%
tax still in power
(10.10.2006)
Still foreigners have to pay 100% taxes
on the value of a property that they
have bought in their name.
In practise most foreigners don't buy
in their name but lease for 99 years,
which is tax-free. To make sure that
they can sell their lease or sell the
freehold of the property any time to
anybody there have to be additional
paragraphs in the Deed of Lease and
- more important even - a set of contracts
binding the official owner to really
go along when it comes to selling.
See the overview of the Lankaland
consultancy services here.
100% TAX RE-INTRODUCED
(09.09.2004)
The government has re-introduced the
100% tax for foreigners buying property
in Sri Lanka. From now on a 50,000 EUR
property costs another 50,000 EUR in
taxes. Plus 4% stamp duty.
Our recommendation: it is illegal to
put a false price in your contract of
transfer to avoid taxes. If you buy
a rather "cheap" property
some people might have a problem believing
the price. To make sure that nobody
has a chance to discuss your official
buying price you should get an "evaluation
report" by a licensed surveyor
(or better even two). Talk about a fixed
price before hiring the surveyor.
If you don't want to buy and pay 100%
tax alternatively you can also lease
for a period of 99 years. No taxes,
only 1% stamp duty. You can build and
demolish anything on your land during
that period of time. There is a way
to make sure you can buy the property
anytime later from the owner even if
the owner might have changed his mind.
A
second way to get full ownership without
paying 100% taxes is by founding a specific
kind of Sri Lankan company and become
a 99% share holder. There are specialised
agencies offering that service. Because
of the costs (typically initial 1,400
- 2,000 US$, after that 1,300 per year).
This system usually is considered by
investors who spend more than 100,000
US$.
Copyright:
Reiner Niemeyer, 2004-2006
THE
PEOPLE
Nowhere
in the world you find as many open,
friendly and helpful people as in Sri
Lanka. Here they welcome the foreigner
- whereas in many other tropical countries
the foreigner is strongly disliked.
Especially in the rural farming areas
starting only a few hundred meters beyond
the touristy spots you'll encounter
- and enjoy! - an unspoiled kind of
Sri Lankans whom you will like immediately.
One of the reasons to come to this tropical
paradise is the optimistic and relaxed
attitude of most of the locals.
Copyright:
Reiner Niemeyer, 2002, 2003.
VISA
When
is the season?
Practically all foreigners stay
up to 5 - 6 months per year in their
house - from November through March.
That's the season from Negombo to Tangalle
(west, southwest, south coast).
Mid April Sri Lankans celebrate New
Year - a big turmoil and chaos. It's
better not to be in Sri Lanka during
New Year or the week before.
May, June and July are very hot and
wet (monsoon). August is a fine month
again, but a little hot. The same is
true for September to October. However,
high season is during the european winter.
After
half a year in Sri Lanka most foreign
residents go back to the west where
it's nice in spring and summer. And
in addition the west has quite a few
other advantages, doesn't it?
Why not enjoy the west during the better
months of the year and then again look
forward to return to Sri Lanka first
week of November?
Visa for up
to 9 months per year
You get a 30 days visa on arrival
free at the airport. You can get a 3
months visa from Sri Lankan Embassies
in the west before flying to the island
(ca. 40 US$).
When in Sri Lanka you (hopefully
still) can extend your visa to
90 days in Colombo (Immigration Office)
(40 US$). Better
get a 90 day visa in advance from the
Sri Lankan Embassy in your home country!
01.11.2006
New visa
practise?
In
in the past you could fly to Sri Lanka
without a visa. They would stamp a 30
day visa into your passport at the airport,
and you could extent this visa at the
Department
of Immigration in Colombo to six
months or even more.
Now there are rumours that it can be
difficult to get the 30 day airport
visa extended in Colombo if you want
to stay for more than a month. Sri
Lankan embassies recommend on their
websides that you get a 90 day visa
already at home if you want to stay
longer than 30 days!
At the same time there are rumours that
you can get a one year visa in Colombo
for 850 US$ if you seem to be a decent
person.
It's good if you can show that you have
been to Sri Lanka (visa!) often (maybe
you can also bring your old, invalid
passport as proof) and every time left
the country without trouble. If you
have property (owner or lessor) bring
copies of your deed.
You have to have a return ticket and
sufficient money (officially you are
expected to spend 35 $ per day). As
proof for money you can show your credit
card.
As a tourist you should not try to fool
anybody about your reason of stay: it's
holidays. Some have claimed that they
are "involved in charity work"
- but unfortunately it's prohibited
to work even for free with only a tourist
visa. So please forget all the lies
and tell the truth. You are in Sri Lanka
to enjoy yourself and spend your money
on holidays in your little holiday home.
(written
March 2006:)
You can also get a visa for 6 months
within 2 hours in Colombo for additional
120 US$. A further 3 months (summing
up to the maximum of 9 months per year)
will cost 120 US$ again.
The exact costs depend on the country
you are from.
Average total costs:
1 month = free
3 months = 40 US$
6 months = 40 + 120 US$
9 months = 40
+ 120 + 170 US$
For visa extention you have to prove
you have sufficient money (35 US$ per
day of your stay). As prove a VISA card
will be accepted. In addition it's always
a good idea to keep all bank receipts
when changing money and be able to show
it at Immigration.
In 2005 and 2006 visa rules have been
tightened. Sometimes visa extensions
were refused.
Retirement
Residency
Since a long time there were no rumours
about this issue. It seems to be out
of discussion.
Permanent
resident visa
Pay 250,000 US$ and you get one
for two years ("Resident Guest
Scheme"), if you act as "investor".
During these two years you have to prove
that you have invested the 250,000 US
and that you have spent a lot of money
per month (2,000 US$ for you plus 1,000
for each of your "dependents")
during the period. If you couldn't find
a good investment you can apply for
extention (difficult) or try to get
the money back from the deposit account
(well, maybe that's easy ...).
If you are employed in Sri Lanka, you
get one year visa. Your employer has
to actively support your application.
In practice there is no chance for fake
employment: your employer has to be
a BOI approved company or be involved
in government approved activities.
For certain health reasons you can get
a year.
When you are married to a Sri Lankan
you can get residence visa and have
to renew it regularly.
If you have a B.O.I. approved business,
you and your "attached housewife"
will get a resident visa and have to
renew that every year. For BOI approved
business you need a mimimum investment
of 50,000 US$ (in practise 150-250.000
US$), and you are subject to bookkeeping
and controls. You need lawyers and accountants
to do all that.
It has become very difficult to start
a BOI approved business with little
investment. Particularly in tourism
there is little chance to get BOI approval
for project smaller than let's say 250,000
US$.
Copyright:
Reiner Niemeyer, 2002, 2003, 2004. 2005-2006
BUYING
PROCESS
You
decide, which property you want to buy.
A standard kind of contract will be
written (takes 3 days).
The lawyer has the obligation to check
the present state of the deed of ownership
at the Land Registry. That takes 3 -
14 days (up to deed situation and lawyer/money
you want to spend on the research).
Seller and buyer meet in front of the
lawyer to sign the contract and hand
over the money. The location mostly
is the lawyer's office, but sometimes
a hotel or private house (quite a few
sellers don't want family members or
neighbour to know that they sell something
and have money in their pockets.)
The transfer is valid from moment of
signature.
The lawyer will get the property registered
in your name. That takes 1 - 4 months.
It's difficult to speed it up registration.
All
property is bought with cash money.
No local sellers will accept cheques
or bank transfers. They don't want anybody
to know how much money they have in
their hands.
Copyright:
Reiner Niemeyer, 2002, 2003.
ADVANCE?
Probably
you don't have 40,000 US$ in your pocket.
The prove you want to buy a property
you might deposit 10 - 20 % of its value
- there are various options how to do
that and secure the money by a lawyer,
trustee or other middleman.
The shorter the period between advance
and final buy the better. Don't let
too much time for the sellers to get
"new ideas".
For
the final buy you should be present
in Sri Lanka. One can find lawyers who
write up all contracts and accept that
you are represented by a trustee who
enjoys the power of attorney issued
by you - but this is a "rare"
procedure among private persons and
involves extra costs (according to the
quality of the lawyer and the trustee).
On the other hand it save you an additional
airfare.
Copyright:
Reiner Niemeyer, 2002, 2003.
TAXES
- FEES - EXPENSES
All
transfer costs (lawyer, stamp fee, tax,
registration) are calculated on the
grounds of the selling/buying price
that is written in the contract.
If you have a certified document by
a court licensed lawyer you can prove
that the figures in your contract are
not lowered for tax evasion purposes.
Stamp
fees for taxes and registration:
- 100%
taxes if you are a foreigner buying
property in your name
- 4%
stamp duty
- 3-4%
of buying price for lawyer
So
you practically spend about 108% of
the buying price in expenses in a normal
procedure with an average local lawyer.
As
in the west there are lawyer who are
also able to handle more complicated
matters (e.g. involving trustees, power
of attorney etc.) and - here - have
certain influence to speed up the process.
Those lawyers / attorneys at law might
ask higher fees. So, as ever, it's a
good idea to ask for the price before
you decide.
Copyright:
Reiner Niemeyer, 2002, 2003. 2006
FINANCING
AND BANK LOANS
No
seller will accept a by and by payment
- he wants his money all at a time,
and cash.
No Sri Lankan bank will help you finance
any property or loan money to you. Mortgage?
Forget it.
No foreign bank will help you either.
So you have to have the money in your
pocket.
BROKERS
AND MIDDLEMAN
The
commission
(Updated 04.01.2005)
Varies
from property to property (depending
on the local partner involved). Middlemen
or brokers often are paid only by the
seller. Others ask a commission from
seller as well as from the buyer.
Copyright:
Reiner Niemeyer, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005.
MONEY
TRANSFER
All
deals have to be done in rupees. That
is the legal way.
There are various ways to get larger
sums into the country: by opening a
bank account and send the money from
home or by using the services of a lawyer
as a trustee who has a foreign currency
account (those can be found in Colombo
only).
For smaller sums (e.g. advances) cash
or traveller cheques are handy. Money
can be drawn by VISA or sent by Western
Union (highest fee!).
It's a good idea to have someone at
home who is entitled to send money from
you bank account at home by telex bank
transfer (SWIFT) to Sri Lanka. Find
out the SWIFT code of the Sri Lankan
bank branch. It makes things one or
two days faster. A SWIFT transfert shouldn't
take longer than 5 work days.
RESIDENCE
- ENCLAVE - HOTEL?
Private
residence / house
Most foreigner live in their own houses
on their own land. They come for five
to six months in the winter. Hardly
any house is used from May through October
- yet.
Today
holiday home, later retirement
That's what most people plan - and
finally do. Most of the winter residents
of Sri Lanka are beyond 55.
Enclaves
- the foreigners "cluster"
settlement
For a foreigner it's best to live next
to others of his kind. So why not build
3 - 8 houses on a larger land, share
the care-taking, the gardener and the
security and maybe a large swimming
pool with others?
As a rule of thumb: for a house and
you own garden you need 500 - 800 m²
in such an enclave to be more than private.
Copyright:
Reiner Niemeyer, 2002, 2003.
STARTING
A BUSINESS
Start
a guesthouse or hotel
Why not? It's very easy when you
have a local partner (who owns 51%).
Officially you are welcome as an investor
- but you are not allowed to work in
Sri Lanka, even if you own a 49% share
of a business.
Business
without local partners
That's rather difficult. You face a
complicated approval procedure at the
Board of Investment (B.O.I.).
Information: http://www.boi.lk/Splash/index.asp
BOI businesses can be very rewarding
- but you need professionals to help
you with the approval process as well
as with maintaining the business according
to the BOI rules. There are specialised
consultants offering those services.
Taxes
144,000 Rs per person and year tax
free. Maximum taxation 35% (figures
of 2002).
Copyright:
Reiner Niemeyer, 2002, 2003.
CONSTRUCTION
Building
a new house in an ideal design
From the experience of many others
there are some factors to be called
"ideal":
- large
veranda
- master
bedroom with high concrete ceiling
- attached
bathroom with hot water (lower ceiling)
- living-/working-room
- walk-in
closet for dry and good smelling cloth
- utility
room, serving various needs - accessible
independently from outside, used as
room for the caretaker in the off-season
- kitchen
with access to veranda
Few
limitations to construction
In Sri Lanka you can almost build
as you like and where you like.
Draw a plan, have it redrawn by a local
architect and file for approval. It
will be granted without bribing anyone.
Only at the beach there are some restrictions:
you may not build higher than a coconut
tree, and you can't build high walls
to the beach. Beach is public property
so you are not allowed to block public
access to the beach.
Costs
Up to the quality. You find prices
in new papers and should enquire in
your community.
Contractor
Good contractors with reputation
can be found.
When you build, you should expect a
minimum of 6 months for the construction.
If you don't want to control and supervise
the contractor, you should hire a qualified
supervisor.
Renovating
and altering an existing house
No problem. You need a new bathroom
and an altered kitchen to move in. If
you have the time, get the roof brushed
up - thats the important part of the
house here.
You'll find contractors or neighbourhood
craftsmen to do the job.
The
colonial house
Do you like oldtimer cars? They might
not be a fast or reliable as a brand
new contemporary one - but they have
charme and need loving care. Same with
old houses...
They can be turned into a modern time
beauty, but you need love, time and
money. But again: the daily salary of
craftsmen is very reasonable
Check the roof! Everything else is minor.
Why not build a brand new colonial
style house?
Yes, that can be done! There is a successful
example you could see in Galle: the
"Dutch House" (next to the
"Sun House") on Upper Dickson
Road. They have built a replica of the
existinc 18th century house next to
the original. You can't tell the difference.
What a great place. Visit www.thesunhouse.com/doornberg.html
Copyright:
Reiner Niemeyer, 2002, 2003.
Beach
house
Do you want to live at the beach?
You'll have to fight corrosion there.
This
roof is 1,000 m off the beach. The zinc
plated hook under the roof looked like
that after 3 years:
White
"Asbestos" is harmless!
The asbestos sheets consist of
not friable chrysolite (white asbestos)
cement. In contrast to the amosite and
crocodilite based asbestos (blue fibre
asbestos) that is used in the west for
insulation purposes the chrysolite material
is not considered a health risk or carcinogenic
(see EHC53 of WHO/IPCS).
Even the process of manufacturing (WHO
EHC 203) is 10 - 15 times less "dirty"
than the health risk level of the WHO.
The dangerous asbestos varieties have
never been produced in the tropics.
So you don't have to think about removing
asbestos sheets on the roof or as a
ceiling. Quite the contrary.
Ceiling
with flat asbestos sheets
Roofing
options
A
- Old time roof: U-shape tiles on
a construction of wood. That's how they
did it in the colonial times. Unfortunately
these roof always leak and are very
troublesome. Looks nice, but nobody
wants that kind of roof, frankly.
U-shape
tiles - these are new
Typical
"old" roof - always leaking
B
- Flat tile roof: modern flat tiles
from clay like mostly used in the west.
The tile are supported by wooden construction.
No leak problem (when grade 1 tiles
are used; grade 2 vary in size and are
not as hard). Looks okay (though without
the colonial charme) from the outside.
From the inside it looks okay for a
veranda roof, but in the house you don't
want to look at these tiles.
Veranda
with plain flat clay tiles
C
- Flat concrete tiles: look like
the clay ones but are cheaper and more
even. Rather ugly from the underside,
so they need some cover from underneath.
D
- "Asbestos Sheets" (corrugated
Chrysolite Cement sheets, "white" asbestos,
not friable, no health risk): allows
roofs that are much less sloped than
flat tile roofs (angle like the old
colonial roofs - but without their disadvantages.
Best waterproof qualities. May be painted
(red or green most common). Looks ugly
from top and underside.
The
bare asbestos roof is ugly and heats
up. One should place U-shape tiles on
top - see "Sandwich Roof"
Underside
of corrugated white asbestos roofing
sheets - ugly. Should be covered with
wood between beams
E
- "Colonial Sandwich Roof": Asbestos
sheets (C) in the middle is the basis
of that concept. On top you put the
old fashioned U-shape tiles (new or
2nd hand), because they look colonial
and absorb the sun, so that with this
system the asbestos sheet won't get
heated up. But you have to have a stronger
framework under the roof to hold the
extra weight of the tiles. Underneath
the asbestos sheet you nail wooden planks
to the wooden framework under the sheets.
That kind of roof just looks perfect
and is functional as well. Only it costs
more.
Sandwich
roof - best looking, but most expensive
UPKEEPING
- MAINTENANCE
It's
not very costly to have a house in Sri
Lanka.
In many cases it's enough to have a
neighbour look after the place.
The closer to the beach the higher the
costs for renovation and repair.
Property
Taxes
After having bought your property
you hardly pay any taxes for house and
land - something between zero and 40
US$ per year.
RESELLING
At present foreigners who sell their
properties will sell it to other foreigners.
The money transfer will usually be done
in western currencies in the west.
COSTS
OF LIVING
It's
up to you - but it definitely is not
as expensive as in the west.
Copyright:
Reiner Niemeyer, 2002, 2003.
WHO
LOOKS AFTER THE HOUSE IN THE OFF-SEASON?
Holiday
properties in Sri Lanka are much less
subject to burglary than for instance
in Italy or Spain. You don't have to
be too worried.
Nevertheless it is a good idea to have
someone look after the house:
If you have direct neighbours in a middle-class
neighbourhood you mind find one of them
trustworthy and reliable enough to look
after your house.
Many people hire a night guard - a person
who sleeps on the veranda or in a servant
room.
A permanent care-taker who also sleeps
on the property could be hired as well.
He should be responsible for security,
garden and the dog. If you want someone
to supervise and control your care-taker
the costs will rise.
Many foreigners have a family living
on their premises: during the season
the family moves to their own small
house nearby; during off-season they
live in the rooms of the foreigner's
house. Often the master bedroom and
the bathroom will be locked off. Most
houses have an exterior servants toilets/bathplace.
The local houses (colonial as well as
modern) and the sensibly built houses
of westerners have an interior area,
that can be locked off, and rooms that
can be used by servants during the off
season.
Some foreigners give the key to the
lock off parts to their care-taker,
so he can access these parts of the
house for cleaning and ventilating by
opening the windows. Others, who are
not quite sure (yet) of their (new)
servant's quality, might have
an external supervisor - mostly a upper
middle-class neighbour or a businessman
who has no direct relationship (family
ties) with the care-taker. The supervisor
shows up without notice to check the
work of the care-taker. In case of emergency
the supervisor is called by the care-taker,
checks the situation and contacts the
foreign owner.
Copyright:
Reiner Niemeyer, 2002, 2003.
FACILITIES
OF THE HOUSE
Telephone
in the home
Few houses have cable bound telephone.
Usually one has a wireless connection
- same quality of transmission, fax
and internet can be operated immediately.
Connection will be installed within
1 - 2 weeks after ordering it. Leading
company is "Suntel".
Getting connected will cost between
100 and 300 US$.
Local calls are cheap, international
calls are more expensive than from western
countries to Sri Lanka. There is a law
on the way (March 2003) to open the
international call market and have lower
prices.
You can make international calls with
call-back-providers, "Net2Phone"
etc. for very low rates (check internet
for more infos).
Mobile
phone
Very good coverage in all coastal
areas.
You can select from a handfull of providers
and get prepaid services. Leading company
"Dialog GSM" (also by Suntel).
You can use your mobile phone from the
west.
Internet
You can connect your modem to the wireless
phoneline and enjoy 30 KBit connection.
There are interenet packages as well
as call-by-call services.
Electricity
Practically every house has 220 V electricity
(mostly 2-phase, business places 3-phase,
which doesn't make a difference nowadays).
Electricity is cheaper than in the west.
Water
All houses (with very few exceptions
on the beach) have their own well. With
an electric pump you pump the water
into an elevated watertank (exterior
water tower or under the roof), where
it's stored for use.
Westerners usually boil their drinking
water before using it.
Toilet
Every house has a toilet pit / septic
tank with one, two or three chambers.
In most cases only the toilet is connected
to that that - water from washing basins,
shower or kitchen is directed into the
garden.
In the tropical climate bacteria decompose
the material in the toilet pit. So toilet
pits are not emptied like in the cold
west.They also don't smell bad.
Copyright:
Reiner Niemeyer, 2002, 2003.
VEHICLES
In
areas with tourism many local families
who are involved in touristic services
own a van and are only to happy to drive
you around for little money. You need
a mobile phone and five telephone numbers
to be completely mobile.
Even more people own the local short
distance taxis (threewheelers, also
called tuk-tuk). Many have a mobile
phone. Most important are the phone
numbers of the shops at the junctions
where the tuk-tuks wait for customers.
Call the shop to send a taxi - that's
it.
You
don't need a car or a threewheeler yourself!
Spare yourself the risk of breakdowns
and the trouble of repairs! Better spend
your money using local services.
Copyright:
Reiner Niemeyer, 2002, 2003.
EMPLOYEES
Plenty
of people speak enough English to understand
your needs.
Many employees work without contract
and without being officially registered.
That is legal when someone works on
a "day to day" bases (like
labourers you hire for gardening or
construction projects).
If you hire a permanent employee you
should register that employment. When
you register and spend an additional
10% of the wages for the EPF you can
be sure that after you lay off the employee
will not trouble you.
When a Sri Lankan boss lays off an employee
he makes sure the employee doesn't loose
face. He'd never shout or accuse - just
terminate the job from one day to the
next.
It's
good practice to give a little compensation
(half salary) even when the reason for
the lay-off is something like stealing.
You should have the former employee
write a document in his handwriting
stating that you don't owe anything
and that he has no knowledge of any
illegal activity done by you.
In
Sri Lanka families and businesses have
strict hierarchies. Sri Lankans prefer
a clear hierarchy to western style informal
"teams" - in fact on the domestic
level some people are completely lost
with the western idea of team. They
prefer to be told what to do and be
controlled.
Everybody
is used to accept the boss as the boss.
Conversation will stop when a local
boss steps into vision. Every employee
will raise, caps will be taken off the
head. Employees try to prevent direct
eye contact - western often misinterpret
this as a sign of bad conscience, but
it is a matter of respect.
Respect
the hierarchy within your "work
force" - from top to bottom supervisor,
care-taker, gardener, night watcher,
labourer/helper (mostly daily basis),
female servant (or wife of any employee).
When you allow the "lower ranks"
to talk to you directly, you intimidate
the higher ones. Don't ever openly confront
anybody, especially not your most important
man. However right you might have been
in the eyes of everbody, the moment
you make someone loose his face you've
made a mistake.
Copyright:
Reiner Niemeyer, 2002, 2003.
Respect the fact that many employees
want to see in you the "master",
"sir"/"madam". Keep
enough distance, don't force anyone
to be treated "on an even level"
- that feels very uncomfortable for
employees here (and has spoiled many
in the long run).
Be
careful with presents. A local boss
would hardly give any gifts at all (maybe
after years of service a new 5 - 10
US$ sarong for New Year (mid April).
Don't pamper the children of you servants/employees.
It intimidating for the parents when
the "rich foreigner" gives
presents to the "cute little kids"
that their parents could never afford.
Don't
accept invitations of servants / employees.
In fact no local servant would ever
have the idea of inviting his boss to
his home.
You
can accept a little present (coconut
or fruit) or flower from the garden
as a sign of gratitude and shouldn't
feel obliged to return immediately.
It does no harm to give little presents
like a cup of ice-cream or a little
cake (local taste) to your people. Never
force them to take from the same plate
or bowl as you. Accept when they don't
eat the treat at the spot but prefer
to take it to their family house.
Hardly
any Sri Lanka boss would invite servants
/ employees to be his guest. Many feel
uncomfortable even when they are invited
to sit at the table of the boss.
Employees
usually will never set foot into your
private quarters except when ordered
to. Respect that custom. Never, under
no cirsumstances, confront anybody with
nudity!
Be
careful with advances. Giving an advance
means a guarantee for a job regardless
of the performance of the employee.
On the other side advances are necessary
in case of emergency. Let your care-taker
handle all these matters and discuss
with him alone. Make it difficult to
get an advance.
Copyright:
Reiner Niemeyer, 2002, 2003.
LOW
CRIME RATE
Compared
to western countries Sri Lanka is very
peaceful and safe. When things are stolen
from a foreigner's property it often
has been the fault of the foreigner
himself: careless with values (and everything
has a value in this country), careless
with false friends.
Make sure your employees have the right
attitude. Ask middle class Sri Lankans
for advice. Ask employees for recommendation
and talk to their former employers.
SECURITY
Look
what the local middleclass is doing:
a wall is a good idea, but often a fence
will do.
Everybody has a dog.
You close your house in the night.
That's all.
In every country in the world there
are some neighbourhoods one shouldn't
live in. Same in Sri Lanka. Ask locals
and western residents which are the
less desireable areas.
HEALTH
There
is no malaria in the west, south west
and south of Sri Lanka.
Snakebites are extremely rare - forget
about that.
No other animals will harm you.
In case of health trouble you enjoy
a good infrastructure for immediate
help. If you should need major attention
there is a fantastic private hospital
in Colombo ("Apollo"), that
attracts "health tourists"
from the Emirates, Hongkong and all
Asia - it's western standard, fully
equipped, very professional - but cheap.
If you need an operation in Europe you
should consider to go to Colombo to
have it done!
Copyright:
Reiner Niemeyer, 2002, 2003.
Sri
Lanka - ideal for foreign residents
Many experts
think Sri Lanka will become the "Tropical
Mallorca" for europeans and asians
in the near future. Comfortable and
safe living is easy - at very modest
prices. More than 200 foreigners own
houses in Hikkaduwa alone.
Why Hikkaduwa?
Here you find the best infrastructure
to meet the needs of the foreigners.
Whatever you need for a comfortable
living you will get here: "local"
as well as "western" restaurants,
supermarkets, building material, tools,
cloths, laundry, taxis, internet and
much more.
Last but not least you meet a lot of
westerners here who share your lifestyle
and you can talk to.
In other parts of Sri Lanka you dont
find that - yet.
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Sri
Lanka the Beautiful
Endless beaches, spectacular hill side,
green and flowers like in a botanical
garden. This island offers all at close
range. From the surf beaches to the
cool hill country of Nuwara Eliya or
Kandy you only spend a few hours on
the bus. Swimming, diving, trecking,
eco tours - all that and much more SriLanka
will offer you.
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Political Situation and Stability
Although it looked different in the
media: SriLankas tourist areas in the
southwest were always peaceful and safe.
After 20 years the Tamil conflict in
the north and east as come to a halt.
Roads to the north and east are open
to trade and travel again. The whole
country hopes for a stabil peace. But
nobody is sure ...
Sri Lanka experts don't recommend property
investments for foreigners in the north
or on the east coast at the moment.
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Foreigners
can Officially Buy and Own Land and
Houses!
You can buy land in Sri Lanka freely.
This is impossible in most tropical
countries. In Sri Lanka you can be the
official owner of that land!
Y ou have to pay 100% taxes and fees
(plus the normal 7%) after buying property.
To avoid misunderstandings and the accusation
you have bought for a higher price than
stated in your contract of transfer
you should better get a evaluation report
by a licensed surveyor.
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What
to consider...
Sri
Lanka is a little different from your
home country. The people, the land,
the climate require considerations that
one gets familiar with by experience.
In order to save your time and money
I'll happily point out all aspects that
could be important to your "settlement"
and life in this beautiful country.
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Building
a house
There are hardly any restrictions
to consider when you plan or build your
house in Sri Lanka. And of course it
is comparatively cheap. Most materials,
that one needs for a western standard
house, are now available.
Contractors or single masons, carpenters
or electricians can be hired. Recommendations
can be given to you by neighbours or
other foreigners.
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Design
and large size photos: Reiner Niemeyer
www.achimschwarze.de/portfolio
E-Mail: info@lankaland.com
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