Last updated: May 18, 2009

This is Red Dot's assessment of the Sri Lanka political situation. You can also click on website logos for Sri Lanka news from the BBC and for the updated advice from the British Foreign Office.

UK Foreign office advice can be found here: Click Here

Dear Red Dot traveller,

In common with hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers to Sri Lanka, we believe fervently that Sri Lanka provides a wonderful holiday opportunity. This beautiful land of tropical beaches, cultural sites, game parks and stirring hill country can be visited with minimal risk and offers exceptional value.

Sri Lanka lovers are taking advantage of some spectacular deals that are available throughout the country. Sri Lanka remains much safer, for instance, than vast tracts of the Caribbean – and hugely better value.

The announcement by the Sri Lankan government that it has won the war against the LTTE encourages hopes of a rosy future. The task is now to manage the peace. Questions remain. This is intended to provide some of the answers.

The final throes of the 26-year separatist war against the Tamil Tigers in the far north-east of the country have gained much media attention. Throughout this conflict there have been many sad and disturbing events and tens of thousands of lives lost.

But Red Dot’s primary role is to advise upon safety for our travellers and is therefore appropriate to underline that statistically Sri Lanka is one of the safest destinations for holidaymakers. Tourists have never been targeted by terrorists. Red Dot will continue to devise every itinerary with safety concerns to the fore.

You may not regard us as independent witnesses, but our main office is based in Colombo, which gives us a day-to-day knowledge of Sri Lanka. Furthermore, our directors also have a background in the media and understand its tendency to combine truth with hype. Our staff has encompassed many races and religions and retains a broad perspective.

Our aim is to treat our travellers with respect and help you gain the information that you deserve. We provide clear links from our website to BBC News and UK Foreign Office websites. This is our analysis, as of the date at the top of the page:

RED DOT GUARANTEES
The Sri Lankan government announced on May 18, 2009 that it had won the war against the LTTE. But Red Dot retains its financial guarantees. We return all recoverable costs in the event of cancellation. And we are also unique among specialist Sri Lankan companies in offering this guarantee in our Booking Conditions:

TERRORISM AND PERSONAL SAFETY:

Your personal safety is our prime concern. If the Foreign Office (or, in the case of non-UK travellers, the appropriate governmental body) advises against travel to any of the countries on your itinerary we will guarantee the following refunds in the event of cancellation. This clause overrides other cancellation clauses: Two months or more before travel: 90 per cent of holiday cost. Less than one month before travel: Minimum 85 per cent of holiday cost. During your holiday: All recoverable costs.

The fact that we sell directly from Sri Lanka enables us to react rapidly towards trends. We had 170 people in Sri Lanka at the time of the tsunami in 2004 and have a proven ability to respond professionally and caringly when a situation demands.

We like our holidaymakers to be informed and independently-minded. We realise many have a long-standing affinity with Sri Lanka and need no lectures about the political situation in the country. We carry links to BBC news on Sri Lanka from the home page and would encourage you to read about the situation, whilst retaining a sense of perspective about whether the situation is realistically going to impact in any way upon your holiday.

LATEST NEWS

Sri Lanka’s president Mahinda Rajapaksa has declared the country liberated from Tamil Tiger rebels after a 26-year war.  Mr Rajapaksa made the announcement in a speech to the country's parliament, a day after the army said rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran had been killed. Sri Lankan television stations broadcast footage of a body purported to be that of Prabhakaran.

Aid agencies stressed that the priority was to give medical attention, food and shelter to the tens of thousands of civilians who had been displaced by the fighting in the far north-east.

We continue to advise the following for your safety:

• Avoid the war zone in the far north.
• Familiarise yourself with the remaining risk of a suicide attack in Colombo and make an informed decision.
• Carry a form of ID with you, especially at night.
• Avoid public transport at all times except in Kandy and the hill-country.
• Avoid political gatherings and military or police installations.
• Seek our up-to-date advice if you plan to travel to the east.

COLOMBO

Colombo, in our estimation, and in that of the UK Foreign Office, requires some analysis from a holidaymaker or business traveller. The capital suffers from occasional terrorist attacks. These are habitually been targeted on political or military figures, but a few have been more indiscriminate. Travellers should expect to see an army presence in the capital – including security checkpoints. Despite all this, Colombo remains a normally functioning city, with hotels and restaurants offering excellent value to the traveller. It also remains a relatively safe city to walk around at all times of day and night.

This list of recent atrocities should enable you to assess the risk in Colombo:

On 20 February, 2009, two people died and an estimated 50 were injured when two LTTE light aircraft were shot down on a failed foray in Colombo.

On 27 December, 2008, five security personnel were killed by a suicide attacker at a security checkpoint in a Colombo suburb.

On 30 August 2008 an explosion near Colombo bus station injured more than 40 people.

On 6 June 2008 a roadside explosive device killed 21 people on a bus near Katubedda (a suburb of Colombo).  A further explosion on a bus at Polgolla on the Wellegama to Kandy road is reported to have killed at 2 people.

On 4 June 2008 a bomb exploded on a train in the Colombo suburbs between Wellawata and Dehiwala railway stations is reported to have injured at least 24 people.  An earlier bomb attack on 26 May on a train near Dehiwela (a suburb of Colombo) caused fatalities and injuries.

On 16 May 2008, a bomb attack targeting a police bus in the Fort area of Central Colombo killed 10 people.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Public transport: Red Dot generally advises against travel on public buses. A bomb explosion at Dambulla’s main bus station in early February 2008 killed 18 people, and a bus bomb in April on Colombo's southern fringe killed 24. The Foreign office advice also generally questions the safety record of Sri Lankan buses. The bomb in February 2008 at Colombo Fort railway station also leads us to warn against train travel in and out of Colombo, although we will assist with such arrangements if travellers confirm in writing that they are aware of the risks involved. Our policy on hill-country trains is unaffected. Red Dot carries out security and safety checks on all its vehicles.

YALA

Yala: The UK Foreign Office has advised against travel to Yala since late 2007. Many Red Dot travellers still wish to visit Yala and we regard that as a valid request and believe that any risk is low. We will consider bookings on a case-by-case as long as clients confirm in writing that they are aware of FO advice.

AIR TAXI

Suspension of the air taxi service: Although the civil war has moved inexorably in favour of the Government, the LTTE have shown potential for occasional terrorist activity. The LTTE, using two rudimentary light aircraft, launched a night air raid on the Air Force Base at Katunayake -- on 26 March, 2007. There was no major damage to the airport. The authorities suspended night-time flights and the air taxi service was also suspended. There is no evidence that the Tigers have the resources to escalate aerial attacks.

David Hopps & Charlie Austin
Directors, Red Dot Tours Ltd