Terror

Recent terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka have caused us some concern but after talking to various experts, we believe that you will not be at risk in the area where the wedding is.

The conflict between the Sinhalese (Sri Lankan) government and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) has been going on for decades and relates to the right to land in the North East of the island. At the beginning of this year a peace treaty between them was lifted which has sparked a number of terrorist attacks. Most of the violence has been in the North East however, since the beginning of 2008 a few attacks have occurred in Colombo.

Tourists have never been the target of these attacks. They are mainly aimed at politicians. We advise that you only travel in the safe areas (which will be marked on the map) and always use taxis or private drivers when travelling through Colombo.

Below is the travel warning from the British Foreign office and the comparatively more over-the-top warning from The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs.

To put them into perspective...Australians, you would receive the same terror warning if you were travelling to Bali. Britons, it is a similar situation to the conflict in Northern Ireland in the 80s, Southern Ireland was safe whereas Northern Ireland was not.

UK Foreign Office Advice
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs advice