Sri Lanka after the war

This item appears on page 79 of the January 2010 issue.

On May 19, 2009, after more than 25 years of conflict, the Sri Lankan government defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. While no LTTE incidents have occurred since, armed checkpoints remain. In the north are many Internally Displaced Persons camps which the government is working to empty.

The Department of State warns of the risks of travel in the northernmost areas and most of its Eastern Province, as there are uncleared land mines and the potential for incidents by remnant members of the LTTE. Travel on public buses is advised against, as they were previously targets of LTTE bomb attacks and remain targets of criminal activity.