The family of an Australian working at the Colombo High Commission has been given permission to leave the country on a flight amid threats of more terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka.
key point:
- Colombo has a large number of Australian children and families of DFAT staff
- Many households are forced to limit daily travel and minimize activities
- Sri Lanka International Airport adds three extra layers of security
A Foreign Office spokesman said family members of embassy staff and volunteers working in the country under the Australian Volunteers International (AVI) scheme could “voluntarily depart to return to Australia”.
“We continue to encourage all Australians traveling within or to Sri Lanka to consider travel advice, including volunteers and voluntary organisations,” a DFAT spokesperson told the ABC.
Schools have been closed in parts of Sri Lanka, including the capital, following the Easter Sunday bombings that killed 250 people.
There are a large number of Australian children of DFAT staff stationed in Colombo, and most of the families live in apartments.
Many families have been forced to limit daily travel in light of the Australian government’s travel advice to Sri Lanka, which urges Australians to “reduce movement until the situation stabilizes”.
Official advice has warned of the possibility of further terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka.
“Attacks may have been indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners. Security measures have been stepped up across the island,” the advice stated.
Warning of more attacks
Sri Lanka International Airport has added three layers of extra security measures on top of normal checks, including car searches of all vehicles heading to the airport and mandatory body searches 100 meters from the airport terminal.
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Soldiers and police patrol the streets of the capital, and security has been stepped up in hotels, malls and places of worship.
The US ambassador to Sri Lanka reiterated warnings of more attacks.
“We do believe that there is active planning going on,” Alaina Teplitz said.
“We have warned American citizens, and certainly others who may read our warnings, to be aware of places that may be targeted by terrorists,” she said.
The warning came despite the arrest of nearly 100 suspected Islamists following suicide bombings at three churches and four hotels.
Saudi Arabia and Israel have advised all their citizens to leave Sri Lanka after the blast.
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