Govt. says Sri Lanka not considering Arugam Bay attack plot a pressure tactic
COLOMBO – Sri Lanka is yet to ascertain if the attack plan at its Southeastern coastal tourism hotspot of Arugam Bay is a false alarm, but does not consider the incident as a pressure tactic, Cabinet spokesman Vijitha Herath said.
The intelligence information of a possible attack against Israeli nationals in an Arugam Bay area was first shared by a foreign intelligence agency with the local counterpart and the government swiftly tightened the security to ensure the safety of both locals and foreign tourists, he said.
“It is yet to ascertain if this is a false alarm because only after the investigation we will be able to find whether the information is true or false,” Herath told the weekly post-Cabinet news briefing in Colombo on Tuesday (29). He was responding to a question if the government thinks it was a false alarm or a pressure tactic by an external group.
The US Embassy in Colombo issued a travel advisory first asking its citizens to avoid Arugam Bay. It was followed by Israel, Russia, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
The travel advisories come ahead of the peak tourism season starting next month. They also came one month after Anura Kumara Dissanayake was elected as the president and formed a new interim government. The parliamentary polls are scheduled for November 14.
Sri Lanka largely relies on tourism for its economic recovery after declaring sovereign debt default in April 2022.
The seven countries that have issued travel advisories have accounted for 29% of the total tourism arrivals in the first nine months of this year, the official government data show.
“Individuals can come to different conclusions because there was no such incident. But as a government we had to act with full responsibility,” Herath said.
“We do not consider this as a pressure tactic because the US Embassy advised avoiding travelling to Arugam Bay. It was not a travel ban. It is something they have to ensure the safety of their citizens.”
-economynext.com
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