Sri Lanka’s old vehicles using the licence number plates with Sinhala auspicious letter 'Sri' are now being issued with new registration numbers with English letters. This was initiated by the Department of Motor Traffic with the approval of the cabinet, Commissioner General of Motor Traffic, B.D.L Dharmapriya said. He added that owners of 36 vehicles have changed their number plates from the 'Sri' numbers to English letters, so far. Old vehicles that bear 'Sri' numbers can obtain numbers with English letters after paying Rs. 20,000 to the Registrar of Motor Vehicles Department. The old vehicles will be issued numbers from AA 0001 to FZ 9999, he added. The issue of English numbers has commenced from GA 0001.
Sri Lanka shifted from 'Sri' numbers to two English letters smoothly in 2000 although the introduction of Sinhala 'Sri' letter in the 1950s roused Tamil protest and communal violence following it. The current series of car registrations in Sri Lanka was introduced in 2000 and is on yellow number plates with black characters and a black border. On the left hand side of the number plate is the country emblem, below which a two-letter region identifier is e.g. WP represents the Western Province. The format of the remainder of the registration is LL – DDDD, with L being a letter and D being a number. The previous series of registrations had been in effect since 1956 and was on brighter yellow plates with the format DD – DDDD. Also they didn’t have any national emblem or region identifier. Taxis have white number plates with red lettering, Mr. Dharmapriya said.
The department will begin issuing number plates with three English letters for the newly registered vehicles after the present series is completed. Production of number plates for three letter numbers have already begun and 1600 number plates a day are produced now, said a department official.
The year 1957 was marked by much friction over the issue of the 'Sri' letter in vehicle number plates.
The earlier system was to use English alphabet letters from the country's name CEYLON (CE, CL, CN, EY, EN etc. The then SWRD Bandaranaike government wanted it to begin with the Sinhala 'Sri.' Tamil politicians resented this as a form of Sinhala imposition. They protested and demanded that the Tamil 'Shree' also be substituted. Ironically there was no letter 'Shree' in the Tamil alphabet. The 'Shree' used was derived from Sanskrit. On January 19, 1957 the Federal Party began an anti-Sri campaign in the northeast. Vehicles began running with Tamil letters. The 'Sinhala' Sri was changed into the Sanskrit derived 'Tamil' Shree. |
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