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the natives When a British visa is required the applicant will first have to place his or her right index finger on the machine. A visa officer will then get the print on the computer and the data will be stored. Children under five years, holders of diplomatic passports and those travelling on official business are exempted from fingerprinting. In Sri Lanka, fingerprinting is a procedure associated only with convicted criminals. So what does the general public feel about this procedure, which incidentally is being implemented only in Sri Lanka? Will the rush for British visas wane as a result? The Sunday Times decided to find out. Most of those we questioned were appalled by the idea. "I have to admit that I haven't gone into it, but my first impression is that it is shocking. It is simply degrading treatment," said human rights lawyer J. C. Weliamuna. "They'll be checking our blood next!" According to him, under human rights law people cannot be compelled to consent to this sort of procedure. "It is a case of consent under duress - people are being compelled to give consent," Mr. Weliamuna says. He said he was not clear on whether every applicant was required to undergo the procedure or whether it was only those who have been granted visas to the UK. "If it were only those who have been granted the visas it would be a different story as it may have implications on the security of the country," he said. He added that since it is a pilot project he really could not say what the repercussions would be, but "as it is between governments there is little that we can do. Other countries, unlike us, will have plenty to say". Believing the fingerprinting system to be a clear case of discrimination, Dr. Vernon Mendis, former diplomat and presently Director of the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute said, "I will not approve on principle as this is very unfortunate. But if I have to travel to Britain, I will have to comply, as after all it is a rule of that country." "Britain could have just told us politely, please don't come to our country," said Patrick Amerasinghe, President Emeritus, National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka. As a regular traveller and businessman, he doesn't think it is right to be put through such degrading treatment. "For that matter no one should be," he insists. "If they suspect people then they should bring in necessary guidelines other than this. There is no need for fingerprinting." "I had a business trip coming up where I wanted to go to the United States via Britain," Mr. Amerasinghe said, adding that as of now he has opted not to go to Britain as he doesn't want to go through what he views as a humiliating procedure. We are obviously being used as guinea pigs and the government should have protested against this," said Mr. Amerasinghe who feels that after going to Britain to promote their business and establishing contacts, the new system comes as a disappointment. "Some people shouldn't be exempted from it while others are subjected to it. It's either everyone or no one. But I still think the fingerprinting method is not effective." "I think it's a disgrace…I would feel like a criminal. People who want to go there are decent people, and just because you get a crook or two it doesn't mean you have to subject everyone to it," says Reggie Candappa, Chairman/CEO of Grant McCann-Erickson and elder statesman of the advertising industry. He said he will not choose Britain as a holiday destination as long as this regulation is in force. "If I have to, I will comply if it's for business purposes etc. but certainly not for a holiday." "We are like a test market," Mr. Candappa added. "It is unfair because it shows how they feel towards us. It is something that many other countries would have resented totally. It is an insult to our national dignity." Prof. Ashley Halpe feels that this was nothing but another invasion of our privacy, and "enough of that has already taken place. I have nothing to worry about myself but it's a silly idea and it's not right to inconvenience us so”. As for going to Britain, he said, "That would depend completely on the circumstances. But I certainly would not go for fun! If they are going to inconvenience us in this manner they should at least have the decency to present us with proper places in which to stay until we get to the visa point." "Horrendous and abhorrent," was how Consultant Plastic Surgeon Dr Narendra Wijemanne reacted. "It is nothing but absolute discrimination." "As it is only in Sri Lanka, I am totally against it," Mrs. M. Jameel, a housewife and mother of one says, adding that most of her acquaintances had rushed to get their British visas before the fingerprinting began. "On the other hand, if you really want to go to Britain, you will have to abide by their rules." "I would consider it demeaning to offer my fingerprint for the scrutiny of the British High Commission," says Mrs. E. Karunaratne, a housewife and mother of two. But she added if it is imperative that she travels to Britain, she'd go through it for lack of any option. "I think it's a violation of people's privacy," says Nigel Billimoria, who works with volunteers from Scotland. "I know that these volunteers will be appalled if the Sri Lankan government had asked them to go through a fingerprinting procedure." He wouldn't bother going to Britain if this was the attitude towards Sri Lanka, he said. But not everyone felt the same. "As a private citizen I feel that it is us who have spoilt our record and, therefore, the British are justified in the action they take," says Principal of Asian International School Mrs. Goolbai Gunesekera. "It is us who have attempted to circumvent their immigration laws and it is us who have to face the repercussions." Mrs. S. R. S. Peiris of Gabo Travels echoed this sentiment. "I don't blame the British High Commission in the least as I feel they have been compelled to observe tighter measures.” She said some procedures should be set up for those who are frequent travellers to Britain to obtain the visas on a fast track basis. Controller of Immigration and Emigration Mervyn Wijesekera pointed out that each country has the discretion to impose any regulation as it sees fit in the context of approving visas. "It is up to them and we simply have to fall in with their requirements. They have also submitted detailed reasons for doing so and the entire process is very transparent." "Personally this is not a fingerprint where they put ink on paper, the future is all about biometrics," says Niranjan de Silva, Director/CEO Metropolitan Computers (Pvt) Ltd. "If Britain has a major problem and it feels that this is the only method in which it may solve it, we have to comply with its regulations rather than antagonize that country. As for myself, I have absolutely no hesitation to present my fingerprint to obtain a visa for Britain." Mrs. R. Perera (name changed) a teacher, feels that Britain probably had its reasons for the imposition of this new procedure. "If I was going to visit Britain, I don't think I have a right to make a fuss about this procedure, as it must be having its own problems.” Whatever individuals
may feel, the project is underway. And every person unless of course,
he happens to be the holder of a prestigious diplomatic or official
passport, has to stand outside the British High Commission and get
fingerprinted if you want to enter Britain. So go ahead, either
join the queue or forget that holiday! |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
Are
we the guinea pigs? Or are we simply helping the British Government
cut down on its refugee population? These questions have plagued
the vast majority, as last month the British High Commission in
Colombo launched the "new and improved" method to obtain
a British visa - through the submission of one's fingerprint. The
British Home Office announced that everyone applying for a British
visa in Sri Lanka will be required to provide a record of their
fingerprints as part of a project to use biometric data to tackle
immigration.
