Sri Lanka is currently struggling to resolve its passport issue, unable to obtain new passports due to a court order, and unable to return to the previous supplier due to a prior Cabinet decision, Minister of Public Security Vijitha Herath said.
At the weekly post-Cabinet media briefing, Minister Herath noted that the new government is working to resolve the issue with assistance from the Supreme Court as soon as possible.
He outlined the steps taken by the new administration, including appointing the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Public Security B.M.D. Nilusha Balasooriya as acting Controller General of Immigration and Emigration, following a new Cabinet decision. The appointment was necessary after the previous Controller General, Harsha Illukpitiya, was remanded by a Supreme Court order.
Minister Herath stated that discussions are ongoing with departments, including the Attorney General’s office and the Immigration Department, to resolve the issue.
“Our government is working to present facts to the Supreme Court when the interim order on the passport issue is heard today. Representatives from the Attorney General’s Department are intervening in the case. The new government is doing everything possible to resolve this issue swiftly with the court’s guidance,” he said.
Minister Herath explained that the former government attempted to introduce an e-passport system, awarding the contract to a new company. However, the company failed to deliver as promised by June, leaving the Immigration Department with only around 50,000 passports in stock.
“With no e-passports and insufficient old passport stock, this led to long queues for passports,” he said, adding that 3,000-3,500 passports were typically issued daily. An online appointment system was introduced to manage the stocks in hand, but had to be discontinued due to challenges, causing people to queue from as early as 3:00 am.
When the e-passports were not delivered, the former government tried to obtain ordinary passports from the same company under the previous tender. This move was challenged in the Supreme Court by the former supplier. The department expects an initial stock of 47,500 passports later this month.
Herath also noted the need to order a laminating machine for the passports, which will take at least two weeks to arrive. “Even if the passport books arrive by mid-October, further printing is required, and the old supplier holds the license to print applicant details. The old firm has challenged the new firm’s involvement as unsolicited and illegal, resulting in an interim order preventing the new firm’s involvement until today,” he said.
The Public Security Minister said that as such, Sri Lanka is now facing an issue with receiving new passports as well as being unable to obtain passports under the old system, due to missteps taken by the previous government. (Newswire)