Burma, Laos and Cambodia forms part of the Asian cultural sphere in which Therava da Buddhism remains a vital cultural institution.". Culture They are employed in variety of job sectors, especially in "commercial sex work, beauty culture, Hospitality field, NGO sector and limited numbers in the government sector". Etymology The term 'nachchi' is widely used to refer to transgender people, while napunseka can be used to imply a third gendered centric view of transexuals. The term 'Hijra' can also be used to refer to the third gendered community on the island. Pandaka The term 'pandaka' has two meaning in Indian languages. The first refers to 'eunuchs' and is of Tamil origin. The second refers to homosexual men and is academically considered to be a form of slang. Nachchi Nachchis are described as being a variety of people that do not conform to hetereosexual male stereotypes. It was historically used to describe cross-dressers but now is mostly used to describe transgender people. A few organizations such as the National Aids Council describe the community as being "effeminate men who have sex with other men. They also operate as MSWs, and pick up clients from various cruising points. In addition to having clients, they often have regular male sex partners, with whom sexual activity takes place without financial transactions." It is debatable what this refers to however as there is no clean definition provided Other organizations describe them as being a subculture of the transgender community, often as a substitute for the terms such as third gender or hijra. Pons Napunseka A term found in Sinhalese that was historically used in a similar manner to nachchi, but now either refers to eunuchs or hermaphrodites. Hijra Politics The situation in the Constitution of Sri Lanka is the same as the one found in the Constitution of India concerning gender equality, though the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka lacks the powers to repel and create law in the same manner that the Supreme Court of India has. Human Rights Watch stated that third gendered people were not protected by the legal system of Sri Lanka. It called on the parliament to decriminalize being third gender by repelling three laws; Sections 365 and 365A of the Sri Lankan Penal Code, and the Vagrants’ Ordinance. It also recommended that the government passes comprehensive laws to fight discrimination. LGBT rights activists have focused on improving conditions for