Sri Lanka on Saturday reversed the decision to withdraw the visa-on-arrival facility for foreign tourists, less than a day after it passed an order to do so from September 30.
It means that tourists coming to Sri Lanka from India and 78 other countries would continue to get, till further
notice, a free 30-day visa on arrival at Colombo’s international airport.
On Friday, the Department of Immigration and Emigration announced that only tourists from Singapore and Maldives would get visas on arrival as they were the only two countries to extend the same facility to Lankans.
No explanations were offered for either decision but on Saturday the Immigration department website put up a notice announcing that Friday’s decision was suspended.
"Notice is hereby given that the earlier public notice on "Withdrawal of On Arrival Visa Facility" be treated as withdrawn until further notice," it said.
Senior Immigration officials declined to comment. "Postponed," was what WAC Perera, Immigration chief told HT.
Reports said the decision to suspend the facility triggered protests from the tourist industry, one of the main earners of foreign exchange for Sri Lanka and, which is finally witnessing a revival after decades of civil war. The decision to suspend the facility without discussing the issue with stakeholders was criticised.
But what had triggered the decision to withdraw it in the first place? For decades, foreign tourists were extended the facility of visa-on-arrival.
Security concerns could have dictated it.Concerns not related to foreign tourists but related to those of Sri Lankan origin holding foreign passports; members of the Tamil diaspora for one.
The US embassy website for instance carries this notice: "US citizens are encouraged to always carry their US passport while in Sri Lanka. US citizens of Sri Lankan origin may be subject to additional scrutiny upon arrival and while in the country. In some cases, foreigners of Sri Lankan origin may be detained without their embassies being notified."