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Sri Lanka slams US over travel warning
Aug 12, 201405:15 PM
The Sri Lankan government has accused the US of creating a “false and alarmist view” after Washington warned of possible violence on the island and said anti-Western sentiment was rising.
The travel warning was issued on Friday (8) by US Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security after the JVP - an opposition party- staged a peaceful protest outside the US embassy in Colombo over Israeli actions in Gaza.
It said there was increased pressure on anyone linked to US projects, warning that “even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence.”
Sri Lanka, which is banking on tourists to revive its economy after ending nearly four decades of ethnic war in May 2009, said the claims were misleading.
The warning “regrettably creates a false and alarmist view of the conditions prevalent in Sri Lanka,” said the foreign ministry.
“The right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest are important values in a democracy, and the public in Sri Lanka have the liberty to exercise these rights which are guaranteed by the Constitution of the country.”
“However, there have been no instances of violent protests targeting the US Embassy, its diplomats, officials or citizens, though claimed by the US State Department’s Security Message, that such incidents could occur,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a release.
It said that the protest organized by the JVP had been peaceful. In fact it is known that the US Embassy in Colombo maintains working relations with all opposition parties, including that which staged this demonstration, the ministry said.
“With reference to the US perception that there is increasing anti-Western sentiment, for which the basis is unclear, it would be prudent for the US authorities to examine the root causes for such a development, and corrective measures may be sought in order to stymie the widening gap in the bilateral relationship.”
-With inputs from AFP
