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Indian visa issue: Lanka seeks report for action
The Government will raise with India the issue of Sri Lankans being left out of the facility to grant visas on arrival for citizens of 180 countries, an External Affairs Ministry official said yesterday. “We have asked our High Commission in New Delhi to meet relevant authorities and submit a report on why Sri Lanka was excluded from the on-arrival visa list,” EAM’s Public Communication Director Rodney Perera said.
He said that after the report was received, the ministry would follow up with the Indian authorities so that Sri Lankans also could benefit from the scheme.
The Indian authorities gave no explanation as to why the facility was not given to Sri Lanka. The other countries which were not given the facility are Pakistan, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria and Somalia.
Indian Home Ministry’s Additional Director General K.S. Dhatwalia told the Sunday Times the countries left out were being reviewed. However, he declined to comment on why Sri Lanka had been left out. Media reports said India on Wednesday approved a plan to extend visa on arrival facility to almost all countries barring a handful categorised as ‘sensitive’ due to the security risk they pose.
On Friday UPFA Parliamentarian A.H.M. Azwer raised the issue at the Parliamentary Consultative Committee meeting of the Ministry of External Affairs. He said visa concessions should be given to friendly nations without bias and noted that Indians were allowed visa on arrival in Sri Lanka. External Affairs Minister G.L.Peiris has said he will take up the matter with the Indian authorities.
Meanwhile Immigration Controller Chulananda Perera said he was awaiting instructions from the External Affairs Ministry on any reciprocal action.
More than 200,000 Indians came to Sri Lanka last year using the facility of on-arrival visas. Some 452,000 Sri Lankans, mainly pilgrims, visited India last year.