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Sri Lanka Country Security Report

Published: April 17, 2024

This report is intended to supplement the U.S. Department of State Sri Lanka Travel Advisory and Sri Lanka Country Information Page.

Embassy & Consulate Contact Information

U.S. Embassy Colombo

210 Galle Road, Colombo 3

Tel: +94 11-202-8500

After-Hours Emergencies: +94 11-202-8500. Hours: 0800-1730, Monday-Thursday, and 0800-1200 Friday.

OSAC Country Chapters

The Colombo Country Chapter meets quarterly. Interested private-sector security managers should contact OSAC’s Asia team with any questions.

Sri Lanka Travel Advisory

The current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at the date of this report’s publication assesses that travelers should exercise increased caution in Sri Lanka due to civil unrest and terrorism.

Crime

​The U.S. Department of State has assessed Colombo as being a MEDIUM-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. 

The U.S. Department of State has not included a Crime “C” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for Sri Lanka.  

The crime emergency line in Sri Lanka is 119. An additional police emergency line for Colombo is (94) 11-243-3333.

​Most crimes against U.S. citizens continue to be petty crime and crimes of opportunity (e.g., pickpocketing, hotel room thefts, and fraud). There is some organized criminal activity, which can involve drug-related crimes and gang-on-gang violence, but these events do not tend to involve foreign travelers. 

Use cash for routine transactions when possible. Even if one has a Sri Lankan residency card, there have been reports that individuals who appear Western or foreign will be asked to pay in their foreign currency exclusively, a choice that may not be available unless an individual recently arrived in Sri Lanka with a reserve of foreign cash. There are occasional reports of credit card fraud, which is a persistent threat. Authorities have arrested foreign nationals and organized groups for complicity in financial crimes. Avoid situations where your card is removed from your view. There have been reports of employees at reputable businesses (e.g., restaurants, chain grocery stores) wearing data skimming devices in their clothing and scanning a victim’s credit card or using other methods to steal credit card information. ATM skimming is also a threat. If you use an ATM, be on the lookout for skimming devices. Cover keypads with your hand. 

Sexual harassment is pervasive. Both foreigners and locals, more commonly women, report instances of cat calls and physical harassment (grabbing of body parts) while in crowded areas and/or public transportation.  

There are no particular areas in Colombo that are known to have especially high rates of crime. Street hustlers are common around popular hotels, shopping areas, and other tourist sites. There are occasional reports of snatch and grab theft of purses or jewelry owned by tourists, but no recent reports of armed robberies. The U.S. Embassy has not recorded any recent reports of armed robberies of tourists.     

Beware of tuk-tuk or taxi drivers offering “special” tours or access to festivals or gem shops. This common scam often results in tourists being heavily pressured to buy “gems” that are either cut glass or are worth much less than the price being asked. The U.S. Embassy has also warned female travelers of instances of sexual harassment by tuk-tuk drivers. Likely due to Sri Lanka’s economic situation, there is a scam in which a tuk-tuk driver charges your ride using an app on their phone, claiming the meter is broken. Then, when you get close to the destination, the phone either slips down or the app closes, and they charge a much higher amount than the routine cost. If a tuk-tuk does not have a meter, agree on a price before beginning the ride, and try to have the correct amount of cash so you do not need change. Surf schools are known to run scams where they claim renters damaged their boards and demand exorbitant prices to repair the damage. 

Kidnapping Threat

The U.S. Department of State has not included a Kidnapping “K” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for Sri Lanka.

​Kidnappings occur infrequently, and if they do, they occur mainly within the local community. The motive is usually political or business-related. Victims and their families have blamed kidnappings on security services (extrajudicial detentions/arrests, often called “white van kidnappings”). The U.S. Embassy is not aware of any kidnappings involving U.S. citizens in Sri Lanka. 

Terrorism

The U.S. Department of State has assessed Colombo as being a MEDIUM-threat location for terrorism directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. 

The U.S. Department of State has included a Terrorism “T” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for Sri Lanka, indicating that terrorist attacks have occurred and/or specific threats against civilians, groups, or other targets may exist.

The last terrorist attack in Sri Lanka occurred on April 21, 2019, when terrorists carried out coordinated bombings of hotels and churches in Colombo and Batticaloa, killing more than 250 people and injuring more than 500 more. The terrorists were Sri Lankan nationals associated with the Islamist groups National Thowheeth Jama’ath and Jamathei Millathu Ibraheem. Authorities believe that all the perpetrators of the attack are dead or have been captured. The President declared a state of emergency that lasted until August 2019, during which there was a significant increase in police and military presence throughout the country. Many large hotels and shopping areas increased their physical security presence in response to the bombings and security screening of guests and bags has become standard in many locations. Sri Lanka continues to be a potential target for Islamic extremists.  

The threat from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, or Tamil Tigers) is currently minimal. There have been no LTTE terrorist attacks since 2009. The civil conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE lasted nearly three decades. The conflict was mired with human rights abuses, such as abduction, extortion, and the use of child soldiers. After independence from Great Britain, the majority Sinhalese population disenfranchised the minority Tamil population of migrant workers, who were previously favored under British rule. Sinhalese authorities made Sinhala the official language; in the ensuing years, language became a source of ethnic tension that carries a legacy to today. Out of the growing ethnic tension, the LTTE began to campaign for a Tamil homeland in northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The group became a guerilla terrorist organization capable of carrying out suicide bombings and resisting security forces across Sri Lanka. The government defeated the LTTE in 2009 after a military campaign that many human rights groups claim was conducted with impunity. LTTE leadership did not survive the campaign, and the group was largely eliminated. However, sympathetic elements remain within and outside the country. Even though the LTTE was defeated, the larger problem of integrating the island’s minority Tamil population still remains.  

Political Violence and Civil Unrest

The U.S. Department of State has assessed Colombo as being a MEDIUM-threat location for political violence directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests.

Elections/Political Stability

​​​​Presidential elections were held in 2019, and Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the presidency. He appointed former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, his brother, as prime minister. In 2020, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa secured a two-thirds supermajority for his party, winning 150 of 225 seats in parliamentary elections. Domestic observers described the election as peaceful, technically well managed, and safe considering the COVID-19 pandemic but noted that unregulated campaign spending, abuse of state resources, and media bias affected the level playing field.  

In March 2022, worsening economic conditions prompted thousands to take to the streets nationwide to demand political change. Beginning in 2021, Sri Lankans were facing record-high inflation, fuel shortages, and regular, long-lasting power cuts. Without a means of payment, Sri Lanka was unable to import enough fuel for electricity and transportation needs, or even enough cooking fuel for household stoves, among other essential goods. Rajapaksa, the younger brother of the former President and member of a prominent political family, was accused of leading an administration that has allowed corruption and economic mismanagement. On April 3, 2022, all 26 members of the cabinet, except Prime Minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa, resigned. The political crisis deepened over months of protests, in which a wide swath of the public urged the Prime Minister and President Gotabaya to immediately step down. A cabinet reshuffle did little to appease the fundamental frustrations of protestors. On May 9, 2022, the Prime Minister submitted his letter of resignation amidst mass demonstrations; former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe briefly took his position. On July 9, protestors stormed the President and Prime Minister’s official residencies and caused significant damage, though the protests remained relatively non-violent and the officials were not at the residences. Eventually, Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe both resigned as Sri Lanka's President and Prime Minister, and Rajapaksa fled the country. Parliament elected Wickremesinghe to the Presidential office. He continues to hold multiple cabinet positions.  

Protests & Demonstrations

​​​In 2022, Sri Lankans mobilized in massive anti-government protests in reaction to the country’s acute economic crisis – which resulted in fuel, medicine, and other crucial import shortages – blaming the Rajapaksa administration for rampant corruption and mishandling the country’s economy. Sri Lanka’s economic trouble began to show in 2021, as the compounding effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism and Sri Lanka’s growing energy crisis became evident. Disaffected groups frustrated by government policies and economic conditions began to strike with higher frequency in early 2022, including medical workers, teachers, or farmers angry with a ban on fertilizers that caused widespread agricultural failure. In April 2022, frequent anti-government demonstrations of hundreds of thousands of participants called on the government, President, and Prime Minister to step down and for an overhaul of the country’s political system, exemplified by the popular slogan “Gota Go Gama” which called for Prime Minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa to “Go Home.” The GotaGoGama protests centered around Galle Face Green and were largely peaceful, though sporadic incidents of violence occurred in lines for fuel or between police and young activists during the height of the crisis period. Common venues for demonstrations in Colombo are the Fort Railway Station, Viharamahadevi “Victoria” Park, Hyde Park, Galle Face Green, the area near Parliament, the Presidential Secretariat and surrounding junctions near Town Hall (e.g., Lipton Circus, Liberty Circus, Pittala Junction).   

In the summer of 2022, economic stress and unrest reached a climax. With no U.S. dollars left in its foreign exchange reserves, the government severely restricted essential imports, prompting a change in the Travel Advisory to warn U.S. Citizens of disrupted supply chains and food and medicine shortages, especially in remote areas. As Sri Lanka’s fuel reserves depleted and wait times in queues grew multiple days, there were increasing reports of tension and altercations at gas stations across the country. The government assigned police and army personnel to oversee distribution of the dwindling fuel supply. On June 17 through 20, army personnel clashed with civilians, and in two incidents, fired warning shots into the air in attempts to control mobs agitated at long fuel lines. To date, while shortages and transportation curtailment remain a concern, most hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, and private hospitals have supplies. Limited duration power outages occur frequently, but most tourist facilities have backup generators.​​ 

Though the political and acute economic crisis that fueled frequent mass anti-government protests in 2022 has since plateaued, relatively small-scale demonstrations continue in Colombo. Union strikes have resumed, causing limited service disruption to date. In recent months, several groups of approximately a few thousand people have marched where they have been denied permission; it is not uncommon for police to deploy tear gas and water cannons at large protests, often several times a week. Demonstrations have turned into crushing crowds, resulting in people falling and getting injured from the crush. Private-sector organizations operating in Sri Lanka should encourage personnel to avoid all demonstrations, maintain a high level of vigilance, and practice good situational awareness. While demonstrations have been generally peaceful, it is possible that the situation may escalate without warning.  

Sri Lanka has experienced periods of political instability and unrest in previous years. In October 2018, a constitutional crisis occurred when the president at the time announced that he was replacing the then-prime minister with a former president. Large rallies and protests occurred in Colombo and other locations. During the crisis, a government minister’s bodyguards opened fire at crowds gathered near his office, killing one person. In December 2018, the removed prime minister reclaimed his position after the Supreme Court found his removal unconstitutional.  

In 2018 and 2019, authorities placed Sri Lanka under curfew and heightened security during anti-Muslim riots. In the aftermath of the 2019 terrorist bombings, clashes between Sinhalese and Muslims, and attacks on Muslim-owned property and mosques, plagued villages near Colombo in Western Sri Lanka. Assailants stabbed and killed a Muslim man trying to protect his shop in the Northwest Province. In 2018 and 2019, locals in affected areas noted that outsiders may have participated in the anti-Muslim riots, suggesting that anti-Muslim attacks were orchestrated beforehand.  

In general, demonstrations in Sri Lanka occur regularly and are usually peaceful, resulting only in traffic congestion. However, some have ended in violence between the protestors and police or opposition groups. Some protests over domestic political issues have resulted in violent clashes, gun violence, and casualties. Demonstrations often involve confrontations with police, resulting in the use of water cannons and tear gas to disperse crowds. Large political rallies are common and can draw crowds of more than 100,000 people. These rallies are generally peaceful but can disrupt traffic.  

While most demonstrations relate to domestic politics, protests directed toward Western embassies and international organizations are not unknown. There were several small peaceful protests against U.S. foreign policy in 2018 and 2019, but little activity during 2020 and 2021, in part due to factors relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions implemented by the government. To date, there has been one peaceful protest outside the U.S. Embassy in 2022, which asked the Embassy to take the Rajapaksa brothers back to the U.S. In 2023, a small organization announced plans to protest in front of the U.S. Embassy in Colombo in November due to the conflict in Gaza.   

The law provides for freedom of peaceful assembly, but these freedoms are subject to multiple restrictions. The constitution restricts the freedom of assembly in the interest of religious harmony, national security, public order, or the protection of public health or morality. Authorities also have a wide latitude to restrict freedom of peaceful assembly. Freedom of peaceful assembly also may be restricted in the interest of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others or in the interest of meeting the just requirements of the general welfare of a democratic society. Under a police ordinance, protesters must seek permission from the local police before holding a protest. 

Protests over the economic and political situation in Sri Lanka could erupt at any time. 

Anti-U.S./Anti-Western Sentiment

​​Disinformation and conspiracy theories spread quickly on social media used by Sri Lankans, and the United States, the UN, and the international community are often the targets of these disinformation campaigns. Many people receive their news through social media, which means there are few alternative sources of information that could quickly stem the spread of an online rumor.  

Sri Lanka was previously colonized by the Dutch, the Portuguese, and the British; this history has made Sri Lankans very suspicious of foreign powers' intentions. In 2019, two defense cooperation agreements between the United States and Sri Lanka triggered protest and increased anti-U.S. sentiment. In general, U.S. travelers are not usually targets of hostility.  

Many Sri Lankans also distrust the UN because of its calls to investigate alleged human rights abuses that occurred at the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War. The Sri Lankan government denies the allegations, and the Sri Lankan military remains one of the most popular institutions in the country. International human rights criticism has drawn the Sri Lankan government closer to countries such as Russia, which does not condemn Sri Lankan authorities for any human rights abuses or their refusal to acknowledge these documented abuses.  

Law Enforcement

The Sri Lanka Police Service (SLP) falls under the Defense Ministry. The SLP is composed of approximately 60 functional divisions. The primary divisions and their purposes are as follows: 

  • Inspector General of Police: The senior-most police official. 
  • Senior Deputy Inspectors General: One S/DIG is assigned to each of nine “ranges” to serve as the senior law enforcement official for each province. 
  • Criminal Investigation Division (CID): Serious and complex criminal investigations, has countrywide jurisdiction and oversees Terrorism Investigation Division (TID). 
  • Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB): Illicit narcotics investigations and demand reduction activities. 
  • Special Task Force (STF): Elite police paramilitary unit, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, protective security, special weapons and tactics. 
  • Special Protection Range - President’s Security Division / Prime Minister Security Division / Ministerial Security Division/ Judicial Security Division / Diplomatic Security Division; each specializes in protective duties. 

Sri Lanka’s security agencies have been accused of human rights abuses. For example, human rights organizations allege that law enforcement uses the discredited Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to commit prolonged arbitrary detention and torture. The PTA allows law enforcement to arrest anyone, without a warrant, for unspecified “unlawful activities” and to detain suspects for up to 18 months without producing them before a court. 

Police Response

Emergency services personnel answer the phone 24 hours a day, but police responsiveness may vary due to limited resources. Although there are allegations of corruption and politicization of security services, the Sri Lanka Police Service (SLPS) is becoming increasingly professional, particularly in its specialized units. However, police officers often lack resources and training, especially at the lower ranks. Police do not always speak English well, and the Embassy gets occasional reports of police attempting to bribe citizens for alleged minor traffic offenses. Response time varies and can be lengthy depending on the type of incident; response to traffic-related incidents can be inefficient.

Travelers with Special Considerations

For specific traveler concerns in Sri Lanka, review the local laws and circumstances on the Department of State’s Country Information Page.

 

Rule of Law, Arbitrary Detention, Official Harassment, Corruption, & Transparency

The U.S. Department of State has not included a Risk of Wrongful Detention “D” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for Sri Lanka.

The law prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention and provides for the right of any person to challenge the lawfulness of his or her arrest or detention in court, but there have been numerous reports that arbitrary arrest and detention occurred. 

The Prevention of Terrorism Act permits government authorities to enter homes and monitor communications without judicial or other official authorization. Government authorities have reportedly monitored private movements without authorization. During 2020, members of civil society and journalists alleged that the government was conducting unlawful surveillance of their activities. 

​The law provides criminal penalties for corruption by officials, but the government does not implement the law effectively. There were numerous reports of government corruption during 2022. Corruption remained a significant and continuing problem, including at the highest levels of government. International companies frequently reported requests for bribes on matters ranging from customs clearances to government procurement. Unrest in 2022 concerning Sri Lanka’s economic crisis highlighted Sri Lankans’ perceptions of the Rajapaksa administration as mismanaging the crisis in part due to widespread corruption. 

Human rights concerns related to law enforcement in Sri Lanka include reports of security forces participating in extrajudicial killings during and after the Sri Lankan Civil War. There have also been reports of torture and cases of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by the government, arbitrary arrest and detention, and arbitrary and unlawful interference with privacy. These threats are not known to target foreigners or the private sector.  

Cybersecurity

Multiple types of cybersecurity attacks increasingly pose a threat to internet users in Sri Lanka, including socially engineered trojan attacks, malware attacks, phishing attacks, advanced persistent threats, botnets, ransomware, and financial frauds. Authorities have acknowledged that the government alone cannot combat these vulnerabilities; instead, private sector hardware and software vendors, Telcos and ISPs, private sector critical infrastructure owners, academics, and end users all must combine efforts to combat cybersecurity vulnerabilities in Sri Lankan internet use.

Import/Export Restrictions

Under the Cultural Prosperity Act and the Antiques Ordinance, the unlicensed export of antiques from the country is considered a criminal act. When arriving in Sri Lanka, ensure your luggage does not contain prohibited or restricted items, such as weapons, ammunition, explosives, gold, narcotics, and pornography. Read the U.S. Department of State’s webpage on customs and import restrictions for information on what you cannot take into or out of other countries.  

The Government of Sri Lanka has strict restrictions on all imports.

A country-specific listing of items/goods prohibited from being exported to the country or that are otherwise restricted is available from the U.S. International Trade Agency website.

Additional resources and reports can be found in the OSAC Traveler Toolkit.

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