Colombo skyline photo by Rehman Abubakr · Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Colombo skyline photo by Rehman Abubakr · Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Image source
What to know
Canada has issued an updated travel advisory for Sri Lanka, urging visitors to exercise a high degree of caution at all times while on the island. The advisory notes that some Canadians of Tamil origin have reported encountering difficulties, including arrest or detention, during screening and security operations, and that Sri Lanka's Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act permits prolonged detention without charge or trial.
The advisory also warns that inter-communal and religious tensions exist throughout Sri Lanka and have led to violence, and that further violent incidents could occur. Western tourists have also been the targets of crime, with incidents of harassment and assault aimed at Western foreigners reported. The advisory notes that the Sri Lankan military continues to maintain a strong presence in the country's north and east, including the Jaffna Peninsula, and that the resettlement of internally displaced persons is ongoing.
Background: the advisory lands as tourist numbers to Sri Lanka continued to fall amid political turmoil in Colombo earlier this month, with several countries issuing travel warnings in the aftermath. Canada has flagged Sri Lanka in travel advisories before — during the 2022 economic crisis Ottawa similarly warned that the military maintained a strong presence in the north and east and told travellers to keep supplies of food, water and fuel on hand, an advisory Colombo's foreign ministry at the time dismissed as erroneous and outdated.
Summary based on Tamil Guardian .
Source checked Oct 9, 2026 · Added to Tamil Directory Oct 8, 2026.