US Travel Advisory On Sri Lanka Matches France, Italy - Envoy

COLOMBO (News 1st); U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung, has confirmed that the security advisory for Sri Lanka remains at Level 2, similar to popular destinations such as France, Italy, and the Maldives. 

This clarification comes amid concerns following a recent security alert specific to the Arugam Bay area.

"When we became aware of a specific threat in the Arugam Bay area, we shared these known details with the Sri Lankan authorities, who responded quickly," Chung stated. "We continue to actively coordinate with them on a daily basis, and we value our partnership with Sri Lanka's leadership and security officials, whose commitment to safety and transparency is notable."

Chung also addressed misinformation regarding the travel advisory. "There is no travel ban on Sri Lanka. Our security alert last week is for Americans to avoid Arugam Bay until further notice, but our overall security advisory for Sri Lanka remains exactly the same at Level 2, which has been so for many years. This is similar to advisories for many other popular destinations, including the Maldives, France, and Italy. All the same at Level 2, Sri Lanka remains at Level 2."

News 1st Juwaad Abdeen contributed to this report.