News
Many people are entitled to diplomatic passports
Vast groups of people in Sri Lanka are entitled to diplomatic passports, ranging from members of the clergy, Presidential and Prime Ministerial advisors to Ministers of all categories, along with their spouses and unmarried children.
The subject of diplomatic passports—and who is entitled to them—was under discussion again this week, amidst news that the holder of such a travel document was among those arrested with underworld kingpin Makandure Madush in Dubai.
The suspect’s identity is still to be confirmed. Some reports claimed it was a Pradeshiya Sabha (PS) member. However, PS members are entitled only to an official passport, not a diplomatic passport. And officials from the Department of Immigration & Emigration said neither they nor other authorities here have been notified by investigators in Dubai of who is under arrest.
Plenty more persons in Sri Lanka, however, are entitled to diplomatic passports under the relevant Internal Affairs Ministry circular. In May last year, the Sunday Times, through a Right to Information application, accessed the latest list. There were 1,797 holders.
In March 2015, the Sunday Times found the number of diplomatic passpport users to be 1,843–only slightly higher than now. When taking into account out-of-use diplomatic passports, the total was much higher. Parliament was told in 2014 that a total of 2,872 diplomatic passpports were issued within a nine-year period.
Apart from the President, his spouse and their children, the Prime Minister, spouse and their children, former Presidents, former Prime Ministers and their unmarried children are recipients of this privilege.
The Speaker, the Chief Justice, Ministers and Leader of the Opposition, their spouses and unmarried children, widows/widowers of former Presidents and former Prime Ministers, Provincial Governors, their spouses and unmarried children, Provincial Chief Ministers, State Ministers, spouses and their unmarried children, all qualify.
Also entitled are Deputy Speaker, Deputy Ministers, Project Ministers, Non Cabinet Ministers, Deputy Chairmen of the Committees of Parliament, Chief Government Whip and their spouses and unmarried children, members of the Constitutional Council and Commissions appointed under the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, the Attorney General, Supreme Court and Appeal Court Judges, MPs and their spouses, and Provincial Council Chairpersons, Ministers and their spouses.
Secretaries to the President, Prime Minister and Cabinet hold diplomatic passports. So do the Governor of the Central Bank, Secretaries to Ministries, Secretary General of Parliament, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Secretariat, Advisors to the President, Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (Ombudsman), Deputy Treasury Secretary and Auditor General, Director General of Elections and Advisors to the Prime Minister.
Entitled, too, are Secretaries to the Leader of the House and Chief Government Whip, Additional Secretaries to the President and Chief Secretaries, Chief of Defence Staff, Navy, Army and Air Force Commanders, Inspector General of Police and Chief of National Intelligence.
The Mahanayake Theras of the Malwatte, Asgiriya, Ramanya and Amarapura Chapters, Archbishops of the Roman Catholic Church and Chief Priests of other religions, Commissioner-in-Charge of Tea promotion overseas, on recommendation of the Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mayors of Municipal Councils in Colombo and Kandy, the Controller General of Immigration & Emigration, Directors General of the Bribery Commission, Customs and External Resources are on the list.
Then, there are the obvious choices. Officers from the Sri Lanka Foreign Service and their family members, as well as Government representatives accredited to Sri Lankan Missions or posts abroad such as appointments under Cabinet decisions, officers from the Sri Lanka Administrative Service, Commerce Department, Defence Ministry, Labour Department, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, Sri Lanka Tea Board and any other Government institution. Their unmarried children up to the age of 21 also qualify.
The last major clean-up of the diplomatic passport list occurred in 2015. That year, the Controller General of Immigration was instructed by the Internal Affairs Ministry to take immediate steps to restrain the use of diplomatic passports by those who had obtained them before the Presidential election of January 8, and are no longer eligible to use them for travel abroad.