The U. S. Embassy informs U. S. citizens that a demonstration by a group of student today, Thursday, January 25, 2018. Although the exact time and expected route of the protest have not been confirmed, it could involve up to 4000 protestors and result in road closures along Galle Road and near Town Hall. Expect heavy traffic and congestion in these areas.
Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence. You should avoid areas of demonstrations, and exercise caution if in the vicinity of any large gatherings, protests, or demonstrations.
For further information about security in Sri Lanka:
- See the State Department’s travel website for the Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Sri Lanka Country Specific Information.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
- Contact the U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka, located at 210 Galle Road, at +94(11)249-8500, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Friday. After-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is +94(77)725-6307.
- Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
SMS:
A demonstration by a group of student today, Thursday, January 25, 2018. Although the exact time and expected route of the protest have not been confirmed, it could involve up to 4000 protestors and result in road closures along Galle Road and near Town Hall. Expect heavy traffic and congestion in these areas. Avoid area of demonstrations; expect heavy police presence & traffic congestion-US Embassy, January 25, 2018
