Colombo (AFP) – Sri Lanka deployed troops and increased police patrols around a Jewish community centre in a popular surfing town on Wednesday after the US embassy warned its citizens of a possible attack there. The stepped-up security and warning came after social media posts called for a boycott of Israeli-owned businesses in eastern Arugam Bay.
“The information was that a place called ‘Chabad House’ run by Israelis could be a target and we have taken measures to strengthen security,” said police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa. He stated that there had recently been tensions between the Jewish tourists visiting Chabad House and the bay’s Muslim-majority population. The army, navy, and police commandos were deployed in the area to enhance patrols and man roadblocks, he said.
Protests by local Muslim groups against Israel’s fighting of Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon have drawn support from the wider community in the predominantly Buddhist South Asian nation. Israelis accounted for less than 1.5 percent of the 1.5 million tourists who visited the island in the first nine months of this year — or around 20,000 people altogether. However, Arugam Bay, a hotspot for surfing located about 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of Colombo by road, is a popular destination for Israeli tourists.
In a rare notice of an imminent threat, the US embassy stated on Wednesday that it had “received credible information warning of an attack targeting popular tourist locations” in eastern Arugam Bay. Britain and Canada shared the US warning on their own websites, while the Russian embassy advised its nationals to avoid crowded places while visiting the island. Meanwhile, Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) “raised the travel alert level for Sri Lanka due to credible terrorism threats at the tourist and coastal areas.” Israel urged its citizens in Arugam Bay and other beaches to “leave the country or at least to the capital Colombo, where there is a high presence of local security forces.”
– New hotline –
There have been no attacks in Sri Lanka since the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed 279 people, including 45 foreign nationals. The coordinated attack against three luxury hotels and three churches was blamed on a local jihadist group that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. Tourism numbers fell sharply afterward and took another hit during a 2022 economic meltdown that precipitated widespread civil unrest. However, foreign visitor numbers have picked up after an International Monetary Fund bailout last year helped stabilize the economy.
Following the US embassy warning, police announced they were unveiling a new security plan to protect tourists island-wide. “In view of the war situation in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, the police, together with intelligence agencies, are working on a plan to protect tourists and resorts,” said a statement issued by the Sri Lanka Police. It did not provide details but mentioned that a hotline had been established for tourists to alert authorities of any safety concerns.
© 2024 AFP
