Sri Lanka is developing a system to track and monitor foreign nationals as they enter and travel around the country, after a new online travel approval system is fully operational, LBO reports.
Sri Lanka is starting at electronic travel authorization program from January 01, and is to scrap free visa-on-arrival to 78 countries.
Controller general of Sri Lanka's immigration office, Chulananda Perera told reporters at a recent media briefing that the state also planned to monitor and track foreigners as they went around the country.
"Each hotel and guest house will be given a machine," he said. "Foreigners will have to keep their passport on this machine before going to their room."
Perera said the state would monitor foreigners as they travelled from place to place.
The immigration department already had a 'migration intelligence unit' but another special unit would be created in the future he said.
The immigration office would find it easier to nab overstaying foreigners through this method, he said.
But the real reason is self evident: ‘foreigners’ includes many of the Tamil Diaspora.
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.
