News
Sri Lanka to track and monitor foreigners electronically
In January 2010 the New York Times designated Sri Lanka the number one tourist destination in the world – a position to which Sri Lanka laid claim after it crushed the Tamil Tiger Terrorists in May 2009 and declared its 27 year old civil war finally over. Tourism is key to the Island’s economy and those who come often leave their hearts behind. The government pays astronomical fees to PR companies and lobbyists to lift the image of the country. While 90 percent of those fees goes towards whitewashing the present Rajapakse regime that has lost any semblance of credibility or regard with the international community, some of it goes towards tourism and luring the tourist not only to visit the island nation – blessed if not with statesmen then with fabulous beaches and natural beauty – but to travel well and to spend freely.
Now the government has decided to monitor foreigners electronically. Lanka Business Online today(October 4, 2011) reported that the country is developing a system to track and monitor foreign nationals as they enter and travel around the country. The move comes with the government setting up a new online travel approval system which will become fully operational
soon.
This is even as Sri Lanka sets up a electronic travel authorization program and LBO reports the fee will be 50 US dollars a person for a 30-day stay with double entry from January 01, 2012. It would scrap free visa-on-arrival to 78 countries.Controller general of Sri Lanka’s immigration office, Chulananda Perera had told reporters at a recent media briefing that the state also planned to monitor and track foreigners as they went around the country.”Each hotel and guest house will be given a machine,” he said according to local media. “Foreigners will have to keep their passport on this machine before going to their room,”LBO reported.Perera had also said the state would monitor foreigners as they travelled around the country from place to place.
He had also stated at the media briefing that the immigration department already had a ‘migration intelligence unit’ but another special unit would be created in the future which would make it easier to nab overstaying foreigners through this method, local media reported.
In January 2010 the New York Times designated Sri Lanka the number one tourist destination in the world – a position to which Sri Lanka laid claim after it crushed the Tamil Tiger Terrorists in May 2009 and declared its 27 year old civil war finally over. Tourism is key to the Island’s economy and those who come often leave their hearts behind. The government pays astronomical fees to PR companies and lobbyists to lift the image of the country. While 90 percent of those fees goes towards whitewashing the present Rajapakse regime that has lost any semblance of credibility or regard with the international community, some of it goes towards tourism and luring the tourist not only to visit the island nation – blessed if not with statesmen then with fabulous beaches and natural beauty – but to travel well and to spend freely.
Now the government has decided to monitor foreigners electronically. Lanka Business Online today(October 4, 2011) reported that the country is developing a system to track and monitor foreign nationals as they enter and travel around the country. The move comes with the government setting up a new online travel approval system which will become fully operational
soon.
He had also stated at the media briefing that the immigration department already had a ‘migration intelligence unit’ but another special unit would be created in the future which would make it easier to nab overstaying foreigners through this method, local media reported.