The Sri Lankan government yesterday said that a US State Department travel advisory aimed at discouraging US citizens from visiting Sri Lanka was part of US strategy to undermine the country.
A senior Foreign Ministry official told The Island that nothing could be as bad as the US warning of potential for continued instability and possible terrorist attacks a month after the end of war. He said that the government had requested the international community to remove travel advisories as the LTTE no longer posed a threat. Responding to our queries, he said though the armed forces maintained road blocks and carried out routine checks on vehicles entering the city and its suburbs, there was no likelihood of LTTE attacks.
He said that the US had also interfered with Sri Lanka’s bid to secure a USD 1.9 billion IMF facility.