Sri Lankan authorities on Wednesday said that there has been an increase in the number of homosexuals in the country despite its strong Buddhist culture and traditions.

A survey conducted by the Sri Lankan Health Authorities have revealed that there are over 30,000 homosexuals and over 40,000 prostitutes in the island amongst its estimated 20 million population.

Out of these figures, more than 8,000 prostitutes are found in the capital Colombo where illegal brothels continue to operate, Sri Lankan Medical Authorities said.

Prostitution is illegal in the island nation and has become a severe problem for the local police who continue to carry out raids and arrests on secretly functioning brothels in many parts of the country.

Homosexuality is also a taboo subject in Sri Lanka where socially it is unaccepted and most often seen as an offence.

According to Sri Lankan Medical Authorities, while the numbers for homosexuality have increased, most homosexuals are found to be in school and university hostels.

Most homosexuals are found in big cities in Sri Lanka and health authorities have decided to conduct islandwide awareness programmes to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases amongst such people.

Director of the National Aids Control Unit in Sri Lanka, Dr. Nimal Edirisingha told Xinhua that while these were the estimated figures of homosexuals and prostitutes in the country, the numbers could be higher.

According to Dr. Edirisingha, there are also 1388 people affected with HIV AIDS in the country and this figure has remained the same for the past few years. (Xinhua)