The Sri Lankan military was instructed by the government to ban all foreign citizens from travelling to the North, ahead of the President Rajapaksa's visit to Jaffna.
"The restrictions had been imposed in view of threats posed by some foreign passport holders who were acting in a manner detrimental to national security," the Sri Lankan army's media director told the Sunday Times.
The ban, which came in force on Saturday, left foreigners stranded at Omanthai, as soldiers stationed at the check point turned them away.
According to the Sunday Times, foreigners, mainly Tamil diaspora visiting loved ones in the North, were not told about the travel restrictions in advance, leaving them unable to attend funerals, weddings, and other life events.
Many foreigners were seen disputing the travel ban with soldiers, the paper added.
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