Javanese Sri Lankans

Javanese Sri Lankans

Total population
8,500
Languages
Sinhala (especially), Tamil, Sri Lankan English, and Javanese (probably still in use)
Religion
Islam (mainly Sunni)
Related ethnic groups
Sri Lankan Malays

Javanese Sri Lankans (Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලාංකා මැලේ Ja Minissu) are Sri Lankan people with full or partial ancestry of Javanese descent. They have originated from the island of Java (particularly Central Java), Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia). There are approximately 8,500 Javanese Sri Lankan lives in Sri Lanka.

History

The Javanese immigrants came to Sri Lanka when both Sri Lanka and Indonesia were Dutch colonies. These immigrants including convicts and members of noble houses from the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia), who were exiled to Sri Lanka and who never left.

See also

• Islam in Sri Lanka
• Javanese diaspora
• Sri Lankan Malays
• Sri Lankan Moors