(COLOMBO) – The Sri Lankan authorities have frozen the free visa facility provided to visitors from Russia and Ukraine after war broke out between those two countries in 2020.
The tourists were provided with free visas on humanitarian grounds but now they will have to apply for fresh visas or leave the country, Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles was quoted in the local media as saying.
In late February the Immigration authorities released a circular to this effect but it was later shot down by the country’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe who said that the decree had not followed proper protocol.
However the authorities from the Immigration, Tourism and the Foreign Ministry reached a consensus that the gratis visa for this category of visitors will have to be dropped.
The local hotel and tourism industry have also repeatedly claimed that visitors from these two countries as well as from Israel are operating an undisclosed number of budget guest houses, motels and restaurants in tourist hotspots throughout the island-nation and that it was affecting the local industry and jobs.
Recently a Russian motel operator had to apologize to local residents for advertising a ‘whites’ only party that came in for harsh criticism.
The Russian not only had to apologize but was also forced to flee the country after receiving threats and intimidation.
