Lanka emergency: Tourists safe, but asked to be careful

Chennai: The declaration of emergency in Sri Lanka has put tourists from India in a quandary. Sri Lankan officials say only neighbourhoods with Sinhalese and Muslim populations in Kandy province are affected and that the emergency was declared as a preventive step, but residents there have advised visitors to be careful. Flight services have not been affected but travel and tour operators are adopting a wait-and-watch approach.
V K T Balan of Madura Travels said, “There are many Indian tourists in Kandy and Kadirgamam areas. They are in hotels where there are safe and police will provide protection too. The information we get says normal life is not affected.”

B Subramanian, who is on a visit to Sri Lanka along with his wife and son from Chennai, said, “There is no problem in Galle but we have been warned by locals and authorities not to visit Buddhist temples. Taxis and buses are plying on the streets but cab drivers look concerned and have been telling us not to travel to certain places.”

Sri Lankan residents, meanwhile, say intra-city and inter-city travel has not been hit. “There is some trouble in areas where muslims and sinhalese live together. People are avoiding those areas. Otherwise life is going on as usual,” said Dhanapal, a resident of Colombo.

An airport in Chennai said that flights from Colombo to Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Trichy and Kolakata are being operated as per schedule.

Sri Lankan deputy high commissioner in Chennai V Krishnamoorthy allayed fears about any unrest in Sri Lanka. “The emergency has been declared as a preventive measure. There is no constraint in travelling to Sri Lanka.” He also said that Indian tourists are not stranded.

Sri Lanka has declared a national emergency after a local curfew was imposed in Kandy where a Buddhist man was killed and property belonging to Muslims were destroyed in group clashes on Monday.