Facebook icon
Twitter icon
e-mail icon

Tracking tourists

Not content with the military running hotels and conducting whale watching tours, Sri Lanka's Immigration and Emigration Department announced Tuesday that a permanent monitoring unit would be established to keep track of Sri Lanka's tourists.

The decision came after 161 Muslim tourists who had overstayed their visas and engaged in activities "other than tourism", were asked to leave.

The department's head, Chief Chulananda Perara, said,

“They must leave on or before January 31 and we have no intention of extending their visas. We have unconfirmed reports that they have been engaged in various activities other than tourism and some of the allegations had religious connotations,”

“This will not affect genuine tourists. We do not want to spoil their stay here in any way. They will be free to enjoy their stay while in Sri Lanka,”

We need your support

Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.

Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view

We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.

For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.