Two men, including a UK immigration officer, have been found guilty of spying on politicians and pro-democracy activists on behalf of China.

Chung Biu (Bill) Yuen, 65, and Chi Leung (Peter) Wai, 40, were found to have violated the National Security Act by assisting a foreign intelligence.

Wai, who was a UK immigration officer, was also convicted of misusing his Border Force job to gain access to the interior ministry’s computer system.

The court heard both men — who were dual Chinese and UK citizens — posed as legitimate police or intelligence officers to conduct surveillance and gather information about Hong Kong pro-democracy supporters and others deemed “persons of interest”.

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson told the court Yuen and Wai had been tasked to carry out “shadow policing operations” for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and ultimately China.

Wai worked as a UK Border Force officer, a volunteer officer for City of London Police and ran a private security company.

Yuen used to be a superintendent in the Hong Kong Police and was employed in London by the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office, the official overseas representative of Hong Kong’s government.

Prosecutors said Yuen’s work went beyond his job description as office manager of the trade office.

The court heard he helped gather intelligence for Hong Kong on pro-democracy activists and politicians who had moved to the UK in recent years after authorities introduced a wide-ranging national security law in the Asian financial hub.

Yuen assigned tasks to Wai, who then allegedly used police systems to gather information for his private work that was a cover for his spying.

Prosecutors said Wai was paid from a trade office account.

Phone messages showed the two conducted surveillance of former Hong Kong politician Nathan Law and that their interest extended beyond Hong Kong activists, who they referred to as “cockroaches.”

“They wanted to know where they were, where they live, what they are doing, who they are associating with, who they are communicating with and how they are doing that and those are the very things that these defendants were in the business of obtaining,” Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson said.

Yuen told Wai to pay special attention to members of parliament or government employees and in 2023 provided the name of prominent politicians, including Conservative UK politician Iain Duncan Smith, a co-chairman of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.

The jury could not reach a verdict on a separate count relating to forcing entry into the northern England home of a woman accused of fraud in 2024.

A third man, Matthew Trickett, 37, was also accused of the same offences before his death after the trio were charged.

He was a former British Royal Marine who worked as an immigration officer and private investigator.

His death was not considered suspicious.

The Chinese Embassy in London has accused Britain of fabricating the charges against the two men.

London has repeatedly accused Beijing of espionage activities.

There have been tensions between the UK and China over a national security crackdown in Hong Kong that saw violent pro-democracy protests in 2019. (ABC News)

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The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the appointment of Iraj Chaminda Pathiraja, an officer in the Special Grade of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service, as the permanent Controller General of Immigration and Emigration.

Pathiraja had previously served in the post on a full‑time acting basis following Cabinet approval granted on May 19, 2025. 

The latest decision, presented by the Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, confirms his appointment on a permanent basis. (Newswire)

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A follow-up discussion aimed at strengthening mechanisms to further expedite the passport issuance process for overseas Sri Lankans was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday (03).

The meeting, chaired by Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, was attended by officials from the Department of Immigration and Emigration, the Consular Affairs Division, ministry representatives, and heads of Sri Lankan diplomatic missions abroad.

Discussions focused on updating the current passport issuance system, enhancing infrastructure, and identifying new methods to ensure accuracy and faster processing.

Issuing a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said providing a more efficient and accessible service to Sri Lankans living overseas remains a top priority. (Newswire)

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The Department of Immigration and Emigration has announced that all foreign nationals arriving in Sri Lanka for short stays (tourism and business) are now required to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) prior to their arrival.

According to the department, this requirement will come into effect starting tomorrow, the 15th of October 2025.

Tourists can obtain the Electronic Travel Authorization via the Immigration Department’s website, www.eta.gov.lk.

Passport holders of Seychelles, Maldives, Singapore, China, India, Russia, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Japan shall be exempted from fees per existing regulations. (Newswire) 

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A group of 155 Indian nationals who had violated their visa conditions by overstaying in Sri Lanka have been arrested by officials from the Department of Immigration and Emigration, it is reported. 

Following their arrest, the Indian nationals were made to pay a sum of Rs. 33,615,000 as settlement of their individual visa fee of US$200 and a fine of US$500 to the Immigration Department.

According to the Immigration Department, this detection is the highest valued in the history of Sri Lanka, earning a revenue income of Rs. 33.5 million from a single detection. 

It is reported that the Indian nationals were found during a raid conducted on a building in Colombo, utilised by a local company to run a back office for an international IT firm involved in online marketing and betting activities.

The group apprehended during the raid, aged between 25-54 years, had arrived in Sri Lanka on resident visas and had overstayed by one month to one year, to continue working for the local company. 

The Indian nationals have been instructed to leave the country immediately after settling the necessary fines due to a lack of space at the Immigration Department’s detention centre in Welisara. (Newswire)

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The Supreme Court has deferred its decision on the contempt of court case against Controller General of Immigration and Emigration, Harsha Ilukpitiya, to September 23, despite an earlier announcement that sentencing would be delivered today (July 24).

Ilukpitiya, who has been in remand custody for over 10 months, faces contempt charges for failing to comply with a Supreme Court order related to the controversial e-visa contract awarded to GBS Technology Services & IVS Global-FZCO, a VFS VF Worldwide Holdings LTD-led consortium.

The Sri Lankan government, as part of the digital transformation and modernisation of the visa system, appointed a consortium comprising IVS-GBS as primary partners and VFS Global as technical partner to develop and manage the new Evisa platform.

He had previously admitted to disobeying the court’s directive and offered an unconditional apology during proceedings.

In August last year, the Supreme Court issued an Interim Order temporarily halting the Cabinet’s decision to outsource the visa application process to the said consortium.

The court also ordered the reinstatement of the previous Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system, which Harsha Ilukpitiya failed to implement—leading to his arrest.

The petition against Ilukpitiya was filed by former ministers Rauff Hakeem, Patali Champika Ranawaka, and former MP M.A. Sumanthiran, who accused him of undermining judicial authority by disregarding a court ruling.

Ranawaka, who has been vocal about the e-visa deal, described the contempt issue as part of a wider corruption scandal that allegedly caused a Rs. 3.71 billion loss to the state. He also raised concerns over the delay in releasing the forensic audit into the agreement, which Parliament had called for on July 12.

The e-visa controversy gained public attention after a local passenger’s complaint about high fees went viral on social media. Investigations later revealed that the contract had been awarded without a formal bidding process, depriving the Department of Immigration and Emigration of the opportunity to secure competitive rates.

Ilukpitiya was arrested in September 2024 for failing to comply with the Supreme Court order to revert to the previous visa issuance system. (Newswire)

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The Supreme Court has rejected a bail application filed on behalf of the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration, Harsha Ilukpitiya, who is in remand custody over contempt of court charges. 

Harsha Ilukpitiya has been in remand custody for nearly six months after the Supreme Court ordered him to be remanded in September 2025 for failing to implement the Court’s order regarding the controversial visa issuance system by global visa processing service, VFS Global.

The visa issuance system by global visa processing service, VFS Global and its charges came under the spotlight last year after a local passenger had raised concerns over the process, with the video of the incident widely circulated on social media.

A probe launched by the Committee on Public Finance also found that VFS Global had been selected without calling for official bids and had resulted in the Department of Immigration and Emigration losing out on receiving competitive rates for visa issuance.

In August last year, the Supreme Court issued an Interim Order temporarily halting the Cabinet’s decision to outsource its visa application process to GBS Technology Services & IVS Global- FZCO, a VFS VF Worldwide Holdings LTD-led consortium.

The court ordered the reinstatement of the previous quick Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) process, which the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration, Harsha Ilukpitiya, failed to comply with, resulting in his arrest. 

The lack of a proper visa issuance system at the time severely inconvenienced tourists visiting Sri Lanka, with long queues regularly reported at the visa counters at the Katunayake Airport. (Newswire)

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An officer attached to the Department of Immigration and Emigration at the Welisara Detention Centre has been arrested by the Bribery Commission for soliciting a bribe of Rs. 500,000.

The officer had allegedly demanded the sum to release an individual detained for overstaying their visa.

Following a complaint, the Bribery Commission arrested the suspect during a sting operation.

Investigations are underway, and authorities have confirmed that legal action will be taken against the suspect. (Newswire)

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Officials from the Department of Immigration and Emigration have left the island on a factory visit to Poland to inspect the printing of machine-readable passports, the Sunday Times newspaper reported. 

The visit comes amidst the rising backlog of unfulfilled applications for passports, following the government’s e-passport tender controversy. 

According to local media reports, the Immigration and Emigration Controller General and the Additional Controller General have travelled to Poland to look into the production of passports contracted to Thales and local partner Just in Time Technologies.

The e-passport tender issue has led to a crisis within the Immigration Department, resulting in long queues outside its premises.

The first batch of passports is expected to arrive in late October, with the government providing assurances that this will help ease the long queues.  (Newswire)

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The Department of Immigration and Emigration has announced that the validity period of passports expiring after 01 July will not be extended by a year, as previously announced. 

According to Daily FT, Immigration and Emigration Controller General Harsha Ilukpitiya confirmed that the validity of expired passports cannot be extended by a year.

He further said that the decision has been made after seeking clarification from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in this regard.

“On the possibility of extending the validity of already expired or nearly expired passports, the ICAO said such extensions could pose problems for individuals at border entry points due to the limited advancement of the Sri Lankan passport,”  Harsha Ilukpitiya said. 

He further pointed out that the ICAO had permitted such extensions only during the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that such extensions are no longer available.

The Immigration and Emigration Controller General gave a clarification, after it was recently reported that the validity period of passports expiring after 01 July will be extended by a year.

At the time it was reported that the measures were being taken in view of the e-passport system which is to come into effect in November this year.

It was also reported that specifically if a passport’s 10-year validity period has expired, an additional one-year grace period will be granted until the e-passport is issued.

However, Immigration and Emigration Controller General Harsha Ilukpitiya has shot down the reports, claiming that such passport extensions or grace periods will not be provided. 

He added that the Immigration and Emigration Department will issue the usual passports for those expired. (Newswire)

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The Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) has summoned the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security and the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration to inquire about the controversial VFS Global deal related to the new visa issuance process, which has faced criticism from many.

Taking to ‘X’, CoPF Chairman MP Harsha de Silva said that the two officials have been summoned before the Parliamentary Committee tomorrow (May 09) ‘for a balanced inquiry into the ongoing visa fiasco’. 

“While it is customary for all public finance-related legislation to be routed through COPF, this strangely was not,” the MP revealed. 

The newly introduced visa issuance system by global visa processing service, VFS Global and its charges were brought to the limelight after a local passenger had raised concerns over the process, with the video of the incident being widely circulated on social media.

In the video, an agitated Sri Lankan national claimed that Indian companies who had taken over visa processing at the Bandaranaike International Airport were causing delays and levying extra processing fees. 

Responding to the incident and allegations, the Indian High Commission refuted reports of Indian companies taking over visa issuance at the Katunayake Airport, stating, “Any reference to India in this context is unwarranted.”

Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles, under whose purview the visa process falls, also acknowledged in Parliament this week that the decision to grant the process to global visa processing service, VFS Global was taken following Cabinet approval and that it was not processed through Parliament. (Newswire)

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Exclusive counters will be available for foreign travellers arriving at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake, the Controller General of Immigration & Emigration said today.

The Controller General of Immigration & Emigration further stated that the exclusive counters will be available for foreign travellers from this evening. 

Exclusive counters have been made available for foreign tourists based on the recommendations of the Tourism Development Committee appointed by the President. (NewsWire)

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The Department of Immigration and Emigration has extended its apology to former Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage over a mishap at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake. 

Issuing a statement, the Immigration and Emigration Department said MP Aluthgamage had been prevented by Immigration officials from travelling overseas on Friday night (10) citing a travel ban. 

The department stated that, however, the information included under the MP’s passport was that of another individual and that the MP had been wrongfully prevented from travelling overseas.

“Two officials of the Department of Immigration and Emigration have been suspended from service over the mishap, while investigations have been launched by the Criminal Investigations Department and Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT),” the department further said. 

The Immigration and Emigration Department also extended its apologies to former minister Mahindanda Aluthgamage for the inconvenience caused at the airport. (NewsWire) 

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Temporary disruptions have occurred in the issuance of passports due to a system failure, the Department of Immigration and Emigration stated today.

The Immigration and Emigration Department of Sri Lanka further stated, therefore, it has temporarily suspended the issuing of passports islandwide.

The department stated that the process has been suspended due to a system failure and attempts are underway to restore the system.

A technical fault in its internet services had caused the system failure, the department revealed.

It added that measures are being taken to send passports applied under the one-day service via postal service. (NewsWire)

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