Sri Lanka: Overview

Travel Warning: Tamil Tensions

Fighting between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE (Tamil Tiger) faction, and the recent breakdown of their ceasefire agreement, has resulted in renewed violence. On 16 January a bomb attack on a crowded civilian bus in Buttala killed at least 26 people and injured many more. On 4 February, another bus was targeted near the town of Anuradhapura, resulting in at least 13 deaths; and on 2 February a bus in Dambulla was bombed, causing 18 fatalities. More recently, in April, a suicide bomb attack near Colombo killed some 14 people and seriously injured more than 90.

Areas north of a line following the highway from Puttalam through Anuradhapura to Trincomalee, and east down to Batticaloa are unsafe for travellers as are the eastern areas around Ampara and Arugam Bay. Any travel to these areas should be reconsidered. The security situation in the Jaffna Peninsula remains very volatile, with heavy fighting between the Sri Lankan army and Tamil Tiger rebels ongoing. Parts of these northern and eastern areas are heavily mined.

For further updates check this Safe Travel site.

The rest of the country is also at risk of attack. The capital, Colombo , has experienced a number of bombings over the last few months. On 3 February, a suicide bomber killed at least 11 people and injured nearly 100 at Colombo's main train station, while an explosion killed at least 16 civilians in a busy shopping district on 28 November. Travellers should exercise a high level of caution, monitor local news sources and heed any local warnings regarding safety.

severity: High-level alert