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SOME ASPECTS OF SLAVERY IN POST MEDIEVAL CEYLON AND THE ROLE OF SIR ALEXANDER JOHNSTON IN ITS ABOLITION – By HUGH KARUNANAYAKE Although slavery in Ceylon flourished during the occupation of the maritime provinces by the Portuguese and Dutch,it seemed that slavery existed as an acceptable practice, even during pre    colonial days, and that, despite the practice going against the core principles of the country’s main religion, Buddhism. It was of course a global phenomenon in an age where “might was right” and no one to espouse the cause of the underprivileged and those in need. It could be stated with some certainty that slavery thrived before the advent of mercantilism. In other words , investment in human capital was a sine qua non in an era where commercialism was yet to raise its head. Even in mediaval Europe, people with means owned slaves, traded in slaves, and even enslaved  ...