By IANS
Colombo : The US State Department has “strongly” advised Americans not to travel by buses or trains in Sri Lanka in view of a series of terrorist strikes at the public transport system in the island in recent weeks.
“In light of attacks against civilian buses and trains, American citizens are strongly advised against travelling by bus or train in Sri Lanka. US government personnel are currently prohibited from these modes of transportation,” said a warning posted on the US State Department’s website Sunday.
Since early January, attacks by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) against civilians had increased and areas frequented by foreign tourists were among the places hit, the website said.
Although Americans and US interests were not specifically targeted, Americans could become victims of violence by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, the State Department said.
“Americans should avoid large crowds and public gatherings and should particularly avoid political rallies, military bases, and government and military vehicle convoys, which are frequent targets of LTTE attacks,” it warned.
The website recalled that 14 civilians were killed, and over 100 injured, when a suicide bomber blew herself up in Colombo’s main rail station Feb 3. On the same day, seven people were injured when a grenade exploded in a zoo in Dehiwela near Colombo. On Feb 2, a bomb planted in a bus at Dambulla in north central Sri Lanka killed 18 civilians and injured over 50.
On Jan 8, Deputy Nation Building Minister D.M. Dissanayake was killed by a roadside bomb in Wattala, on the road to Colombo’s international airport. The LTTE attacked a Sri Lankan army camp in the Yala national park in south Sri Lanka Oct 15.
The State Department has urged all Americans arriving in Sri Lanka to register on line with the American embassy in Colombo.