The U.S. Embassy informs U.S. citizens of a protest scheduled to take place today by the JVP and University students against SITAM Private Medical College. Approximately 3000-5000 protestors will assemble in several small towns outside of Colombo and march toward Lipton Circus, planning to arrive at approximately 2:20 PM (see the below map for possible routes). There are no planned road closures as of now. 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).
