Asia and Oceania

• Travel Summary
• Safety and security
• Local laws and customs
• Entry requirements

• Health
• Natural disasters
• General
 

Travel Summary

• We advise against all travel to the north of Sri Lanka. This includes all areas north of the A12 road connecting Puttalam in the west with Trincomalee in the east. It does not include Anuradhapura or the spit of land to Kalpitiya west of Puttalam.
  
  
• We advise against all but essential travel to most parts of eastern Sri Lanka, including the districts of Batticaloa (all areas), Trincomalee (rural areas), and Ampara (north and eastern areas).  We do not advise against travel to the following areas in the east: Trincomalee Town, including the A6 road corridor to Trincomalee; Block One of Yala National Park; areas of Ampara District south of the A4 road including Arugam Bay; areas of Ampara District, west of the A25 and A27 roads.
  
  
• The conflict between the Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, or “Tamil Tigers”) ended in May 2009.  All territory in Sri Lanka is now under Government control. However, politically motivated violence, abductions and criminality persist throughout the country, particularly in the north and east. The Government maintains its State of Emergency, under which it has extensive anti-terrorism powers. Increased security measures including checkpoints remain throughout the country. Always carry formal photographic identification with you.  Detentions do occur, particularly of people of Tamil ethnicity.  If you are detained, you should ask the authorities to contact the British High Commission.
  
  
• The end of the military conflict has seen an upsurge of nationalism in Sri Lanka. As a result, anti-Western (particularly anti-British) rhetoric has increased, including from senior Government figures. This has led to violent protests against the British High Commission and other diplomatic premises. Although no protests have so far been directed at the British community more generally, you should be vigilant and avoid demonstrations.
  
  
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised its Pandemic Threat Alert Phase to Level 6.  The WHO website at: www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html   as further details.  You should also monitor local media reports for any developments and advice. There is a dedicated Swine Flu page on the FCO website: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/swine-flu . Guidance on Pandemic Flu can be obtained on the UK Department of Health website at www.dh.gov.uk .
  
  
• There is a general threat from terrorism in Sri Lanka.  Although the LTTE suffered a military defeat in May 2009, attacks cannot be ruled out and could be indiscriminate. Attacks continued into 2009 and have affected a variety of targets including government and military sites and public gatherings. Although foreign tourists and visitors have not been targeted in the past, attacks have occurred in places frequented by foreigners. See the Terrorism section of this advice for more details.
  
  
• The majority of visits are incident free, although there are an increasing number of incidents of credit card fraud, road accidents and drownings.  You should wear a seatbelt when travelling by road and use credit or debit cards only in reputable establishments (e.g. major hotels).  Take local advice before bathing in the sea.  A number of tropical diseases are also prevalent, including dengue fever, Chikungunya and rat fever (Leptospirosis). Cases of dengue fever in particular have risen sharply in recent months.
  
  
• About 94,000 British nationals visit Sri Lanka each year (source: Sri Lanka tourism board). 54 British nationals required consular assistance in Sri Lanka in the period 01 April 2008 – 31 March 2009 for the following types of incident: deaths (10 cases); hospitalisations (9 cases); and arrests, for a variety of offences (12 cases). During this period assistance was also requested with regard to lost or stolen passports (40 cases).
  
  
• We recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling.  You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for all the activities you want to undertake.  See the General (Insurance) page of this advice and the Travel Insurance page of the FCO website for more details.   We also recommend that British nationals resident and/or working in Sri Lanka, or visiting for over one month, should register with the British High Commission in Colombo.