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With eye on CHOGM, nettled Lanka protests against illogical British travel advisory
View(s):The Government has instructed its High Commission in London to object to the British Foreign Office’s revised travel advisory on Sri Lanka which holds, among other things, that there is still an underlying threat of terrorism in the country. Updated on Thursday, the advisory assumes increased relevance in view of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka on November 15-17.
Official sources said that both the External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris and the Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, who oversees tourism, have expressed strong reservations about aspects of the travel notice. The sources revealed that the Ministry of External Affairs and Economic Development Ministry are working closely in engaging the British Foreign Office to ensure a positive revision of the travel advisory.
The High Commission is expected to point out at the advisory’s summary contains several distortions. For instance, it accepts that foreign nationals, with the exception of media, no longer need Defence Ministry permission to travel to the North. But, in referring to de-mining activity in the relevant districts, it adds unhelpfully that “Military operations are ongoing …”. The Government feels this gives an inaccurate picture of the current situation, the sources said.
The summary also maintains that there is “an underlying threat from terrorism”. This damaging conclusion is reiterated in a separate section on terrorism which states that, “Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriate and foreign travellers”.
Curiously, the same section also says that the military conflict between the Government and LTTE ended in May 2009 — and that the last reported terrorist incident was in July 2009 in Kirankulam near Batticaloa. “In 2011 the State of Emergency and the Emergency Regulations were lifted, but there remains a heightened level of security in some parts of the country,” the advisory continues. And it explains that the Sri Lankan Prevention of Terrorism Act permits prolonged detention without charge or trial.
Sri Lanka will also object to the contention that political rallies have on occasion turned violent. The advisory warns, “You should avoid any political gathering or rally and be wary of spontaneous large gatherings.” It describes that there has been an increase in nationalism since the end of the conflict, “including at times anti-Western rhetoric”. “In the past, there have been violent protests against the British High Commission and other diplomatic premises,” it says. “Although no protests have so far been directed at the British community more generally, you should be vigilant and avoid demonstrations.”
The section on crime has also caught the Government’s attention. It states that, while violent crimes against foreigners are infrequent, “there have been an increasing number of reports of sexual offences including on minors”.
The advisory also maintains that organised and armed gangs are known to operate in Sri Lanka and have been responsible for targeted kidnappings and violence. “While there is no evidence to suggest that British nationals are at particular risk, gangs have been known to operate in tourist areas,” it asserts. “A British national was killed during a violent attack by a gang in a tourist resort in December 2011.”
Not all of these are new additions. Similar warnings were observed in previous advisories. But they have now raised fresh concerns in view of a government push to increase tourism and to dispel any worries before CHOGM. One marked revision in the travel advisory updated on Thursday is this: “In March 2013, a British national was refused entry to Sri Lanka because he had a large visible tattoo of Buddha on his arm”.
It goes with a warning not to pose for photographs by standing in front of a statue of the Buddha. The mistreatment of Buddhist images and artefacts, it cautions, is a serious offence, and tourists have been convicted for this.
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