UK, Australia warns against travelling to Sri Lanka, sees further attacks
Colombo: The UK and Australia have advised their citizens not to travel to Sri Lanka unless their journey is essential as terrorists were "likely" to carry out further attacks in the country, following the deadly Easter Sunday bombings that killed 253 people and injured over 500.
According to advisories, future attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners.In the immediate aftermath of the bombings, the The UK Foreign Office (FCO) updated its guidance, urging British citizens in the country to avoid large gatherings.But on Thursday it went further, warning about the potential for more attacks.
"The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advise against all but essential travel to Sri Lanka, due to the current evolving security situation following attacks on April 21 2019," it said.
"Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Sri Lanka. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners."
Foreign Office officials told those at the briefing that the change to travel advice was not due to fresh intelligence but instead a necessary precaution.
The situation still remains volatile in Sri Lanka after nine suicide bombers, believed to be members of a local extremist group carried out the blasts that killed 253 people and wounded more than 500 others.
The death toll from the terrorist attack on Easter Sunday was revised downwards on Thursday from 359 to 253 people killed.
Following similar warning from the UK, the US, Australia on Thursday warned more terror attacks were "likely" in Sri Lanka, cautioning citizens against visiting the island nation.
"Terrorists are likely to carry out further attacks in Sri Lanka," the foreign ministry warned in its latest travel advice.
"Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners. Security has been stepped up across the island and a State of Emergency and night-time curfew remain in place," it said.
The US State Department on Thursday again issued an advisory and warned that terrorist groups "continue plotting" possible attacks, with targets including tourist locations, places of worship and airports.
The blasts - the deadliest attacks in the country's history - are likely to devastate the country's tourism industry which had been thriving in the decade of peace since the end of the country's civil war in 2009.
Tourism is a major source of income for Sri Lanka and the industry has only in recent years begun to recover after the 26-year civil war.
In 2009, there were 448,000 foreign visitors to the country, but since 2016, the figure has leapt to more than 2 million a year.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
