^{The Government of Canada's Travel Advisory for Sri-Lanka}

Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry slammed Canada’s latest travel advisory on travel to the island, labelling the warnings “erroneous and outdated”.

Last week, the Canadian government warned its citizens travelling to the island to “exercise a high degree of caution” and “keep supplies of food, water and fuel on hand” as a massive economic crisis grips Sri Lanka.

Some 500,000 people have fallen into poverty according to data from the World Bank, as food prices skyrocket and inflation rises.

Canada also warned that the Sri Lankan military “continues to maintain a strong presence in the country’s North and East, including the Jaffna Peninsula”. “Military and police checkpoints can be established and road closures can occur suddenly,” it added.

Sri Lanka however claimed that the warning “does not reflect the actual situation” and is “flawed”.

“Food security and law & order are the topmost priorities of the Government, and the availability of all essentials is considered as a vital part of the Government’s functions,” said a statement from the foreign minister. “As such high priority is given to ensuring that all essential items continue to be available to the public at all time and there are sufficient stocks of food items.”

It went on to claim that the government “maintains minimum presence of military in the North and the East to ensure security and stability in keeping with national security imperatives”.

Previous reports looking at militarisation in the North-East found as many as one Sri Lankan soldier for every two civilians in certain parts of the Tamil homeland.

“There is no arbitrary arrest and detention of persons by the police or security forces,” Colombo continued. “It is notable that since the election of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in November 2019 the GoSL has taken all necessary measures to ensure public safety and national security throughout the country, to prevent any resurgence of terrorism. It is noteworthy that during this period, there has not been even a single terrorist related incident in Sri Lanka, due to the enhanced vigilance and proactive measures taken by the relevant security authorities.”

“There is no civil unrest in the country.”

Read the full statement here.