COLOMBO - The US embassy in Sri Lanka warned citizens on Oct 23 of a possible attack on a popular surfing destination, prompting the island nation’s police to pledge more security for tourists.
In a rare notice of an imminent threat, the embassy said it had “received credible information warning of an attack targeting popular tourist locations” in eastern Arugam Bay.
The warning comes after social media posts called for a boycott of Israeli-owned businesses in the area.
Protests by local Muslim groups against Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon have drawn support from the wider community in the predominantly Buddhist South Asian nation.
Israelis accounted for less than 1.5 per cent of the 1.5 million tourists who visited the island in the first nine months of 2024 – or around 20,000 people altogether.
But Arugam Bay, a hot spot for surfing around 400km east of Colombo by road, is a popular destination for Israeli tourists.
There have been no attacks in Sri Lanka since the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed at least 279 people, including 45 foreign nationals.
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The coordinated attack against three luxury hotels and three churches was blamed on a local jihadist group that pledged allegiance to the ISIS group.
Tourism numbers fell sharply afterwards, and took another hit during a 2022 economic meltdown that precipitated widespread civil unrest.
But foreign visitor numbers have picked up after an International Monetary Fund bailout in 2023 helped stabilise the economy.
Following the US embassy warning, police said they were unveiling a new security plan to protect tourists.
“In view of the war situation in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, the police together with intelligence agencies are working on a plan to protect tourists and resorts,” they said in a statement.
They did not give details, but said a hotline had been established for tourists to alert the authorities of any safety concerns. AFP