Travel agents who deal with passports and documents of clients persons seeking to travel abroad are faced with many problems particularly when their employees are found carrying passports by security forces and in some cases, are arrested.
To overcome this serious problem that directly affects the activities of the travel agents, the Travel Agents Association of Sri Lanka (TAASL) and Sri Lanka Immigration and Emigration Department (SLIE) in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) signed an MOU to enable the Travel Agents to register with SLIE and obtain a licence authorizing them to carry other’s passports.
The MOU signing was organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. Gerard Victoria, President, TAASL speaking at the occasion said that this agreement is to legally permit travel agents to carry passports of others.
He said that there are occasions where their employees carry 10 to 15 others’ passports, and earlier some of them were caught by the security personnel as the law prohibits carrying other’s passports.
Some have been jailed, due to the earlier security situation. He said that they have tried with several other organizations like the Civil Aviation to get over this problem, but to no avail.
Finally they approached the SLIE and P.B. Abeykoon, Commissioner General, Immigration and Emigration agreed to bring in this arrangement that would improve their function as travel agents. |
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