UK High Commission hopeful Sri Lanka will tackle terrorism threat soon

The British High Commission in Sri Lanka expressed confidence that Sri Lankan authorities will soon address the terrorism threat, while reaffirming its support to the government.

“This is a very serious situation, and authorities are working on it. We fully support the government in addressing this issue,” British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Andrew Patrick told Mirror Business on Wednesday evening.

The UK Foreign Office updated its travel advisory for Sri Lanka following a warning issued by the United States, cautioning UK citizens about the elevated risk of terrorist attacks.

“There is a heightened terrorist threat in Sri Lanka. Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by foreign nationals such as hotels, tourist sites, and places of worship,” the advisory stated.

Patrick acknowledged that some within Sri Lanka’s tourism sector believe the situation might have been exaggerated to negatively impact the industry. The UK is Sri Lanka’s secondlargest tourism source market, with 143,007 UK nationals arriving in the country as of October 20.

The UK Foreign Office is expected to revise the advisory once the threat has been addressed, though it remains unclear if the update will be fully lifted or partially maintained.

Patrick noted that travel advisories cautioning against possible terrorist attacks are common in several countries popular among British tourists. “Many countries have warnings with similar language about likely terrorist attacks, including destinations like Spain and Thailand. Most places where British tourists go carry similar levels of warnings,” he said.

The UK had maintained a travel advisory on Sri Lanka until April this year, following the economic crisis and social unrest of 2022. However, British tourist arrivals have continued to rise despite the warnings. (NF)