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A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Monday, February 17, 2014
Hunt on for overstayers
By Premalal Wijeratne-February 17, 2014
Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, said Sri Lanka will fully implement the system adopted by the USA and India, to track down overstaying foreigners and deport them immediately.
Speaking in this regard yesterday, the Defence Secretary said, all hotels, lodgings, holiday resorts and other places where foreign tourists stay, have been directed to obtain a copy of the passports of their foreign guests and give the same to the closest police station and Immigration officers, no sooner the guests check in.
He further said that investigations had revealed that some foreign visitors, especially Indians who arrive in Sri Lanka on tourist visas, had been found to engage in trade and business even after their visas had expired. He also said a large number of foreign nationals were deported by the Immigration authorities, over a period of time, for overstaying in the country.
Rajapaksa also said on an earlier occasion the government had received information that, certain foreigners who arrive in Sri Lanka on tourist visas, are subsequently involved in political activities.
The Defence Secretary stressed that some of the tourists who arrive here, remain in the country even after their tourist visas expire, and once they are arrested or questioned for violating Immigration and Emigration Laws, try to interpret the official measures taken as a 'violation of their human rights.'
"At present, it is very difficult to obtain a visa to go to Western countries such as Canada and the United States of America. In contrast, foreigners have the freedom to arrive in Sri Lanka on a tourist visa and enjoy their stay in the country. However, we have observed that the Tamil Diaspora is trying to misuse this freedom," he said. He emphasized that the government cannot allow anyone to violate Immigration and Emigration regulations.
Rajapaksa also said there were people involved in terrorism and in the manufacture of bombs, who now try to speak about human rights. "We cannot allow people to go about spreading false propaganda on human rights violations against the country. These people don't even know the meaning of the term 'human rights,'" he added.
Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, said Sri Lanka will fully implement the system adopted by the USA and India, to track down overstaying foreigners and deport them immediately.
Speaking in this regard yesterday, the Defence Secretary said, all hotels, lodgings, holiday resorts and other places where foreign tourists stay, have been directed to obtain a copy of the passports of their foreign guests and give the same to the closest police station and Immigration officers, no sooner the guests check in.
He further said that investigations had revealed that some foreign visitors, especially Indians who arrive in Sri Lanka on tourist visas, had been found to engage in trade and business even after their visas had expired. He also said a large number of foreign nationals were deported by the Immigration authorities, over a period of time, for overstaying in the country.
Rajapaksa also said on an earlier occasion the government had received information that, certain foreigners who arrive in Sri Lanka on tourist visas, are subsequently involved in political activities.
The Defence Secretary stressed that some of the tourists who arrive here, remain in the country even after their tourist visas expire, and once they are arrested or questioned for violating Immigration and Emigration Laws, try to interpret the official measures taken as a 'violation of their human rights.'
"At present, it is very difficult to obtain a visa to go to Western countries such as Canada and the United States of America. In contrast, foreigners have the freedom to arrive in Sri Lanka on a tourist visa and enjoy their stay in the country. However, we have observed that the Tamil Diaspora is trying to misuse this freedom," he said. He emphasized that the government cannot allow anyone to violate Immigration and Emigration regulations.
Rajapaksa also said there were people involved in terrorism and in the manufacture of bombs, who now try to speak about human rights. "We cannot allow people to go about spreading false propaganda on human rights violations against the country. These people don't even know the meaning of the term 'human rights,'" he added.
