OSAC, a joint venture between the Department of State and the U.S. private sector, was created in 1985 to interact on overseas problems of mutual concern. The services of various private news agencies, as well as other government sources were utilized in the compilation of this report. Owens OnLine distributes this report as a convenience to its members and is not responsible for content . There is no restriction on the import of foreign currencies. Currency conversion must only be done at authorized banks, dealers, and money changers.
Most leading hotels provide currency conversion facilities.
Dates change from year to year. Each full moon is marked by a Poya Day holiday. At present, no U.S. carriers provide service to Sri Lanka, though several U.S. airlines have sales agents in the country. Traffic in Colombo is very congested. Narrow highways, dangerously driven intercity buses, overloaded trucks and a variety of vehicles ranging from ox carts to new four-wheel drive jeeps on the road make driving a challenge, not to mention dangerous.