India has assured Sri Lanka that the government will take all measures to ensure the safety and security of Sri Lankans visiting the country. This assurance comes amid reports of attack on buses carrying Sri Lankan pilgrims in Tamil Nadu and a travel advisory issued by Colombo, as per an IANS report. "I wish to convey that the government of India, in close consultation with the concerned state governments,
has taken and will continue to take all measures to ensure the safety, security and well-being of Sri Lankan dignitaries and visitors to India, including to Tamil Nadu," Syed Akbaruddin, Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The Spokesperson said, “People-to-people contacts are an integral part of the close historical, cultural, ethnic and civilisational ties between India and Sri Lanka". He pointed out that the Indian High Commission in Colombo issued visas to nearly 200,000 Sri Lankan nationals last year, while approximately 175,000 Indian tourists visited Sri Lanka in 2011.
The Sri Lankan government has issued a travel warning following a spate of incidents targeting Sri Lankan nationals, the Sri Lankan foreign office said in Colombo yesterday. As a result Sri Lankan nationals have been told by the government to desist from undertaking visits to Tamil Nadu until further notice.
The Ministry said that if there is a compelling reason to visit Tamil Nadu, such a visit should take place following prior timely intimation to the Sri Lanka Deputy High Commission in Chennai. Travel to all other states in India is safe for Sri Lanka nationals, the warning said.