Venerable Thiniyawala Palitha Thera has publicly apologized for comments he made regarding the overseas travel ban imposed on former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Addressing the media, the Chief Sanghanayaka of the Bentara Chapter of the Maha Vihaarawanshika Kotte Sri Kalyani Samagri Dharma Maha Sangha Sabhawa, said he had made the comments during a press conference held on June 03. 

Akcnowledging that at the press conference, he had condemned the travel ban, the monk clarified that he did not intend to disrespect the judiciary. 

He explained that his remarks were made purely on a humanitarian basis and that he was unaware at the time that the restriction was a court order.

Expressing deep regret, Venerable Palitha Thera emphasized that as a monk he always respects the law. 

He announced that he withdraws his earlier statement and extended an apology for any misunderstanding caused. (Newswire)

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The Colombo Magistrate’s Court has issued a travel ban on a father-son duo in connection with the murder of SLPP Kolonnawa local council candidate Dan Priyasad. 

Presenting facts before the court today, the Wellampitiya Police informed that investigations have found suspicious information linking Bandula Piyal and his son, Madhawa Sudharshana, to the murder.

As such, the Police requested the court to issue a travel ban on the two individuals and to also issue an order to obtain their telephone records. 

Taking into consideration the facts, Colombo Additional Magistrate Harshana Kekunawela today issued a travel ban against the duo and ordered the relevant officials to be informed in this regard. 

Presenting further facts, the Police informed the court that a case was already being deliberated at court regarding the father and son’s links to the murder of Dan Priyasad’s brother, Thilina Priyasad, at the same location a few years ago.

Stating that statements have been recorded from 10 persons regarding the murder of Dan Priyasad, the Police informed the court that further investigations will continue. 

Dan Priyasad was shot dead at his relative’s house at the Laksanda Sevana apartment complex in Wellampitiya last night. He sustained serious injuries in the incident and succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment at the Colombo National Hospital. 

Police investigations reveal that two gunmen on a motorcycle had broken into the house and shot Dan Priyasad and fled the area. 

Earlier today, three persons were arrested on suspicion in connection with the murder of Dan Priyasad. The individuals were arrested on charges of providing information to the suspects involved in the shooting. (Newswire)

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The Donald Trump administration is considering targeting the citizens of as many as 43 countries as part of a new ban on travel to the United States that would be broader than the restrictions imposed during President Trump’s first term, according to officials familiar with the matter.

A draft list of recommendations developed by diplomatic and security officials suggests a “red” list of 11 countries whose citizens would be flatly barred from entering the United States. 

They are Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen, the officials said.

Draft List of Proposed Travel Ban Countries

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive internal deliberations, cautioned that the list had been developed by the State Department several weeks ago, and that changes were likely by the time it reached the White House.

Officials at embassies and in regional bureaus at the State Department, and security specialists at other departments and intelligence agencies, have been reviewing the draft. They are providing comment about whether descriptions of deficiencies in particular countries are accurate or whether there are policy reasons — like not risking disruption to cooperation on some other priority — to reconsider including some.

The draft proposal also included an “orange” list of 10 countries for which travel would be restricted but not cut off. In those cases, affluent business travelers might be allowed to enter, but not people traveling on immigrant or tourist visas.

Citizens on that list would also be subjected to mandatory in-person interviews in order to receive a visa. It included Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Turkmenistan.

When he took office on Jan. 20, Mr. Trump issued an executive order requiring the State Department to identify countries “for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries.”

He gave the department 60 days to finish a report for the White House with that list, meaning it is due next week. The State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs has taken the lead, and the order said the Justice and Homeland Security Departments and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence were to assist with the effort.

Spokespeople at several agencies declined to comment or did not respond to a request for comment. But the State Department previously said it was following Mr. Trump’s order and was “committed to protecting our nation and its citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process,” while declining to specifically discuss internal deliberations.

It is also not clear whether people with existing visas would be exempted from the ban, or if their visas would be canceled. Nor is it clear whether the administration intends to exempt existing green card holders, who are already approved for lawful permanent residency.

Some of the countries on the draft red and orange lists were sanctioned by Mr. Trump in his first-term travel bans, but many are new. Some share characteristics with the earlier lists — they are generally Muslim-majority or otherwise nonwhite, poor and have governments that are considered weak or corrupt.

But the reason several others were included was not immediately clear. Bhutan, for example, was proposed for an absolute ban on entry. The small Buddhist and Hindu country is sandwiched between China and India, neither of which were on any of the draft lists.

The proposal to sharply restrict, if not outright ban, visitors from Russia raises a different issue. While the Russian government has a reputation for corruption, Mr. Trump has been trying to reorient U.S. foreign policy in a more Russia-friendly direction.

A decision to include Venezuela could also disrupt a nascent thaw in relations that has been useful to Mr. Trump’s separate efforts to deport undocumented migrants.

The proposal also includes a draft “yellow” list of 22 countries that would be given 60 days to clear up perceived deficiencies, with the threat of being moved onto one of the other lists if they did not comply.

Such issues could include failing to share with the United States information about incoming travelers, purportedly inadequate security practices for issuing passports, or the selling of citizenship to people from banned countries, which could serve as a loophole around the restrictions.

That list, the officials said, included Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Vanuatu and Zimbabwe.

Mr. Trump’s executive order in January said he would revive the bans in order to protect American citizens “from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes.” (NYT)

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A new travel ban under President Donald Trump could take effect as early as next week, potentially restricting entry into the US for individuals from Pakistan and Afghanistan, sources said.

The decision is based on a government assessment of security and vetting concerns, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

The well-informed sources, who requested anonymity, said other countries could also be on the list but did not know which ones.

The move harkens back to the Republican president’s first-term ban on travellers from seven majority-Muslim nations, a policy that went through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

Former president Joe Biden, a Democrat who succeeded Trump, repealed the ban in 2021, calling it “a stain on our national conscience”.

The new ban could affect tens of thousands of Afghans who have been cleared for resettlement in the US as refugees or on Special Immigrant Visas because they are at risk of Taliban retribution for working for the US during a 20-year war in their home country.

Trump issued an executive order on January 20 requiring intensified security vetting of any foreigners seeking admission to the US to detect national security threats.

That order directed several cabinet members to submit by March 12 a list of countries from which travel should be partly or fully suspended because their “vetting and screening information is so deficient”.

Afghanistan will be included in the recommended list of countries for a complete travel ban, said the three sources and one other who also asked not to be identified.

The three sources said Pakistan also would be recommended for inclusion.

The departments of State, Justice and Homeland Security and the Office of the Director for National Intelligence, whose leaders are overseeing the initiative, did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

One source pointed out that Afghans cleared for resettlement in the US as refugees or on special visas first undergo intense screening that makes them “more highly vetted than any population” in the world.

The State Department office that oversees their resettlement is seeking an exemption for Special Immigrant Visa holders from the travel ban “but it’s not assumed likely to be granted,” the source said.

That office, the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts, has been told to develop a plan by April for its closure, Reuters reported last month.

The Taliban, who seized Kabul as the last US troops pulled out in August 2021 after two decades of war, are confronting an insurgency by Daesh’s regional branch. Pakistan also is grappling with violent militants.

Trump’s directive is part of an immigration crackdown that he launched at the start of his second term.

He previewed his plan in an October 2023 speech, pledging to restrict people from several Middle Eastern and African countries and “anywhere else that threatens our security.”

Shawn VanDiver, the head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition of groups that coordinates evacuation and resettlement of Afghans with the US government, urged those holding valid US visas to travel as soon as possible if they can.

“While no official announcement has been made, multiple sources within the US government suggest a new travel restriction could be implemented within the next week,” he said in a statement.

This “may significantly impact Afghan visa holders who have been awaiting relocation” to the US, he said.

There are some 200,000 Afghans who have been approved for US resettlement or have pending US refugee and Special Immigrant Visa applications.

They have been stranded in Afghanistan and nearly 90 other countries — including about 20,000 in Pakistan — since January 20, when Trump ordered a 90-day freeze on refugee admissions and foreign aid that funds their flights. (The International)

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The overseas travel ban imposed on controversial Sri Lankan Pastor Jerome Fernando has been lifted.

The order was issued when the case filed against Pastor Jerome Fernando was taken up for hearing before the Fort Magistrate’s Court today.

Pastor Jerome Fernando was arrested in December 2023 by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) after providing a statement for two days.

The Pastor was wanted by the Sri Lanka Police after allegedly having made derogatory statements about Lord Buddha, Islam, and Hinduism in front of a packed congregation in May 2023.

Video footage of his remarks had caused an uproar among the followers of Buddhism in the country. Following the uproar, Pastor Jerome Fernando issued multiple apologies regarding his controversial statement.

He was arrested and interrogated upon his arrival in Sri Lanka after nearly six months overseas since the incident. (Newswire)

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The US Government has not issued a travel ban on Sri Lanka but has only issued a warning for its citizens related to the Arugam Bay area, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung clarified today.

Addressing an event in Colombo, Ambassador Chung said misleading reports have been shared claiming that the travel advisory had been issued on the whole of Sri Lanka. 

Stating that there are no travel restrictions on Sri Lanka, Ambassador Chung said the warning issued recently is strictly limited to Arugam Bay only.

“I am proud of the U.S. Embassy’s ongoing collaboration with the government of Sri Lanka to respond to a security threat that resulted in our recent security alert, and we pledge that we will continue working together to support the safety and prosperity of Sri Lanka’s citizens and visitors alike.

“One of my duties as U.S. Ambassador is to ensure the safety and security of American citizens here in Sri Lanka. Globally, all around the world, our U.S. embassies operate under what’s called a “duty to warn.” If we become aware of a credible, specific security threat, we are required, required to share that information – with our staff, U.S. citizens, and the host government. Our “no double standard” policy also means that anytime we alert Embassy staff about a specific security concern, we are required to inform U.S. citizens as well. This approach is also standard practice worldwide

“When we became aware of a specific threat in the Arugam Bay area, we shared these known details with Sri Lankan authorities, who responded quickly. We continue to actively coordinate with them on a daily basis and we value our partnership with Sri Lanka’s leadership and security officials, whose commitment to safety and transparency is notable,” she revealed. 

Assuring that the recent warning is strictly only for the Arugam Bay area, she further said that the overall security travel advisory on Sri Lanka remains at Level 2.

“I want to also correct some misinformation out there: there is no travel ban on Sri Lanka. Our security alert last week is for Americans to avoid Arugam Bay until further notice, but our overall travel advisory for Sri Lanka remains exactly the same at Level 2, which has been so for many years and this is similar to advisories for many popular destinations including the Maldives, France and Italy. All the same at level 2, Sri Lanka remains at level 2. We know that continued safety and stability are essential for a thriving tourism sector, which we support absolutely, so we’re fully committed to supporting Sri Lanka’s efforts to create a secure, welcoming environment for all,” the US Ambassador added. 

Her clarification comes after the US Government last week issued a travel advisory to its citizens, stating that it has received credible information warning of an attack targeting popular tourist locations in the Arugam Bay area.

At the time, commenting on the travel advisory, Police Spokesman Nihal Thalduwa said that the surge in Israeli tourists and the occupation of a building in the Arugam Bay area had prompted the US Embassy to issue a travel advisory. (Newswire)

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An overseas travel ban has been imposed on former Minister Johnston Fernando over a case related to an illegally assembled luxury vehicle.

It is reported that the travel ban was imposed by the Fort Magistrate’s Court today. 

The court order has been issued on Fernando regarding allegations of possessing an illegally assembled luxury vehicle. (Newswire)

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The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court has further extended the travel ban imposed on two Indian team managers over match-fixing allegations during the recent 2024 Legends Cricket Trophy in Sri Lanka. 

According to Lankadeepa Newspaper, Colombo Chief Magistrate Prasanna Alwis on Tuesday further extended the travel ban until June 13, 2024. 

The Chief Magistrate issued the order after taking up for consideration a request made by the Special Investigations Unit of the Sports Ministry to extend the travel ban for three months as they require more time to conduct their investigations into the allegations.

The travel ban that was imposed on Indian manager Yoni Patel and his assistant Pachalodia Akash on March 14, 2024, has thus been extended. 

An investigation was launched after a retired Sri Lankan cricketer and a New Zealand cricketer had alleged that the two managers had approached them to fix matches during the Legends Cricket Tournament in Kandy.  

Sri Lanka is the first South Asian nation to criminalize several offences related to match-fixing.

Offenders could face up to 10 years in jail and fines of up to $555,000 for match-fixing under laws introduced by Sports Minister Harin Fernando in 2019. (NewsWire)

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An individual against whom travel bans had been imposed by two magistrate courts has been arrested after attempting to flee the country via air, it was reported.

According to Ceylon Today, the Point Pedro and Mallakam Magistrates had imposed travel bans on the 45-year-old man from Jaffna.

The suspect who had managed to bypass Immigration officials and board a flight to India, was apprehended and deported by Indian authorities upon his arrival in Mumbai yesterday (Aug. 30).

A fellow Australian passenger who had noticed the suspect discreetly avoiding immigration clearance had alerted officials at the Katunyake airport, but the suspect had managed to escape their clutches and board the flight heading to Mumbai.

After reviewing CCTV footage, the authorities were able to identify the passenger and cross-reference his passport and boarding pass details, following which it was found that he was on a no-fly list.

As the flight had entered Indian airspace, Sri Lankan authorities had taken steps to inform the Captain and Operations Manager at the Mumbai Airport of the situation.

Upon his arrival, the suspect was arrested and deported to Sri Lanka, after which he was taken into custody by Immigration and Emigration officers at the Katunayake Airport. (NewsWire)

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An overseas travel ban has been imposed on the Chairman of the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam.

The Police Spokesman stated that the travel ban was issued by the Kilinochchi Magistrate’s Court today.

Commenting on the matter, MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam stated that the Colpetty Police visited his house in Colombo today to serve written information to him in Sinhala.

“I refused to accept it as I can’t read or write Sinhala. They subsequently read it to me in Sinhala saying that all they needed to do was to inform me,” he said in a Twitter message.

The MP further stated that the Police had informed him that he is expected to produce himself at the Maruthenkerni Police station at 10.00 am on Thursday, 08th June 2023.

“The police have made an application to the Kilinochchi Magistrate to ban my foreign travel until I produce myself to the Maruthenkerni Police,” MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam said.

The MP added that the Magistrate has prohibited his foreign travel until a statement is made to the said Police station. (NewsWire)

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The Fort Magistrate’s Court today temporarily lifted the overseas travel ban that was imposed on former President Mahinda Rajapaksa for a 10-day period. 

Issuing the order today, the court lifted the overseas travel ban from 20th – 30th April 2023.

The Fort Magistrate issued the order after taking up for consideration the petition filed over the attack on anti-government protesters at the Galle Face Green in 2022. 

Mahinda Rajapaksa’s lawyer had requested the court to lift the overseas travel ban as his client was required to travel to South Korea to attend a conference. 

Taking into consideration the request, the Fort Magistrate temporarily lifted the overseas travel ban imposed on Mahinda Rajapaksa. (NewsWire)

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