WASHINGTON -- The State Department said that, due to sporadic
incidents of violent crimes against solo travelers, it "strongly
advises" travelers not to travel alone in India.
Updating its consular information sheet on India, the department
also advised travelers to avoid the unstable Kashmir area, where a
Czech tourist was shot and wounded in May.
Other "areas of instability" are the northeast states and the
India-Pakistan border, it said.
The Indian government requires permission to visit a number of
states, it said.
In another update of a consular information sheet, the
department said tourists and business travelers in Sri Lanka "who
are in the wrong place at the wrong time may be inadvertently
caught up in random acts of violence."
Citing the armed conflict between the government and Tamil
separatists, the department said: "Americans are urged to exercise
extreme caution in Colombo because of possible terrorist activities
there."
Travelers should steer clear of the north, east and far
southeast of Sri Lanka, it said.