According to the statement made by the Acting Chief of Police, the information on a possible attack was received by the GOSL on the 7th of October and was discussed at multiple security council meetings, investigated and precautions taken. If the Government did have information before the statement from the US embassy went out, it’s a serious concern why the officials didn’t tighten security before. The reality is that there was no presence of any security officials or armed forces in any of the tourist areas until the warning statement from the US embassy and other foreign missions went out to its citizens. Another concern is why the Government failed to call a meeting with the Diplomatic missions and brief on the steps taken in regards of the information received and the steps taken to prevent such a threat. While the threat on national security should never be taken lightly, Tourism income is one of the most important revenue streams for the country. If the GOSL did have info beforehand and had they briefed the diplomatic missions, a travel advisory warning could have been prevented with the precautions taken. President Anura Dissanayake and the Foreign Minister should at least now call a meeting with the Diplomatic missions and the security officials, brief on the steps taken and work with the foreign missions to remove the travel advisory on Sri Lanka.
