The President’s Office has taken stern disciplinary action against several security officers who were found to have purchased liquor illegally from the duty-free section at the Katunayake Airport.

According to sources from the President’s Office, seven security personnel have been transferred with immediate effect, pending a formal inquiry into the incident.

The matter came to light when the officials had entered the airport premises during President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s recent departure to the Maldives. 

It was reported that they had purchased duty-free liquor despite not being eligible under the regulations.

According to customs regulations, only passengers who are either arriving in or departing from the country are permitted to make duty-free purchases, and even then, only within specific quantity limits. (Newswire)

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One World Duty Free (ODF), a leading and omnichannel duty-free global travel retail brand headquartered in Singapore, officially opened its latest duty-free store at the Port City Duty Free Mall in Colombo on 01 January 2025. 

This marks a milestone in ODF’s strategic entry into the South Asian market, which expects to offer its premium shopping experience for international travellers as well as local consumers. 

ODF eagerly anticipates the completion of the second phase of its Port City Duty Free store by March 2025. This expansion will fully realise the store’s 12,800 sq. ft. retail footprint, offering an elevated shopping experience. With an extensive selection of premium categories and innovative interactive features, the store is set to redefine travel retail, providing customers with an immersive and engaging environment. 

At the initial stage, the store introduces five core product categories; fragrances, wines and spirits, sunglasses, timepieces, and toys. The perfume isles feature iconic global brands such as Calvin Klein, Burberry, Chloe, Davidoff, Hugo Boss, and Marc Jacobs. The store also features a vast selection of globally renowned wines and spirits. 

There is also a diverse collection of sunglasses from Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Mont Blanc, and Saint Laurent at the duty free store, and the timepieces range from high-quality watches from globally recognised brands, including Seiko and Casio. A captivating range of LEGO sets, from Disney Princess castles to Ferrari and Porsche models, are also available. 

Sri Lankan passport holders, including dual citizens of Sri Lanka, and foreign passport holders with resident visas in Sri Lanka who have returned to Sri Lanka with a valid proof of arrival are eligible for an annual duty-free allowance of $ 2,000. Commencement of the allowance is permitted for four days from the first day of arrival. 

Tourists with valid foreign passports will not be subject to an annual allowance limit and as such are eligible to purchase from the duty free store from the date of arrival. Their purchases can conveniently be collected from the airport pickup counter at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA). 

This duty free store at Port City is expected to attract over 2 million visitors annually, demonstrating its position as a premier shopping destination. (Newswire)

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Sri Lanka passport holders returning from abroad and resident diplomats will be allowed to buy up to 5000 US dollars worth of goods at a duty-free mall in the Colombo Port City.

As per the new rules introduced by the Colombo Port City Commission, the permitted passport holders would be allowed to buy one laptop, a tablet, a desktop and two cameras a year.

The permitted passport holders will also be allowed to purchase 36 pieces of apparel, 10 kilograms of confectionery, two bottles of perfume and 5 units of make-up products.

Tourists will not have a value limit but will be imposed a volume limit per visit, and will also be allowed to purchase more to be picked up at the airport. 

According to the Colombo Port City Commission, the allowance would be independent of any other allowance at airports and the goods purchased cannot be resold or exchanged in Sri Lanka, while it is purely for self-consumption. 

The new rules allow Sri Lankans travelling abroad to buy goods outside of the limit to be picked up at the airport, while the duty-free outlets are also permitted to sell online unlimited quantities to overseas customers.

The Colombo Port City Commission also expects to dollarize (multiple currencies) the special economic zone at the Colombo Port City. (NewsWire)

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The duty-free allowance given to Sri Lankan expatriate workers at the airport will be increased from May 01, 2023, Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara said today.

Addressing the media at the Government Information Department, Minister Nanayakkara stated that a circular in this regard has been issued.

A proposal presented by Minister Nanayakkara to the cabinet of ministers seeking their approval to increase the duty-free allowance given to expatriate workers at the airport was approved. 

Accordingly, the Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment has issued the relevant circular. As per the circular, expatriate workers who legally send money to Sri Lanka through the banking system are eligible to receive an increased duty-free allowance. 

The amount of money sent through the banking system since the first of May last year will be taken into account and this concession will be given under five categories.

Workers who have sent between USD 2400-4799 will get an additional duty-free allowance of 600 USD and workers who have remitted between USD 4,800 – $7,199 will get an additional allowance of USD 960. 

Workers who have sent between USD 7,200 – USD 11,999 will receive an additional duty-free allowance of USD 1,440. 

Expatriate workers who have remitted between USD 12,000 – USD 23,999 can get USD 2,400 and workers who have sent USD 24,000 or more can get an additional USD 4,800 duty-free allowance.

“It is very important to direct the workers for foreign jobs and it is equally important to bring the money they earn to the country through legal channels. We have worked hard for that in the past. At a time when the amount of remittances received from expatriate workers had dropped to 190 million dollars when some went to other countries and told workers not to send money to the country, and while some chose illegal methods such as undiyal to send money, we implemented several measures to rectify these issues. After understanding how the people of our country were suffering, our expatriate workers once again started sending money to the country through the banking system. Several programmes were implemented to bring money to the country through safe and legal channels,” he said.

The Minister further said; “Accordingly, an import license was introduced for migrant workers to import electric vehicles. We have also arranged to provide duty concessions to expatriate workers. Accordingly, the circular was issued yesterday to increase the duty-free allowance for expatriate workers at the airport.”

As per the circular, the increase in the duty-free allowance for expatriate workers at the airport will be implemented from the first of May. The facility is available through an App operated by the Central Bank. By registering through this App, it is possible to get an additional duty-free allowance based on the amount of dollars sent to the country.

Minister Nanayakkara further stated that last week, Cabinet approval was obtained to introduce a low-interest loan system for expatriate workers. Accordingly, expatriate workers can get loan facilities up to two million rupees. Also, the President presented his observations to the Cabinet and informed the Cabinet that a programme should be implemented for the workers who have returned to this country after working abroad.

“Some time back, expatriate workers were called heroes of our country. Then during the Corona period, they were treated as human bombs. False information was circulated that expatriate workers returning to the country will put the country in peril during the covid pandemic. They were mistreated and embezzled during quarantine. Against this backdrop, the initiatives taken by the new government gave the expatriate workers new hope and the foreign remittances started flowing again through legal channels,” he added. (NewsWire)

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