Officials from the Ministry of Public Security and the Department of Immigration and Emigration have avoided attending a scheduled inquiry by the Parliament’s Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) into the contentious new visa-on-arrival scheme.
CoPF Chair Harsha de Silva expressed strong disapproval of the officials’ conduct, stating that by informing the committee of their inability to participate at the last minute, they were disrespecting Parliament.
The officials were summoned before CoPF to inquire into the newly introduced visa issuance system by global visa processing service, VFS Global. The company and their charges levied to process visas were brought to the limelight after a Sri Lankan national at the Katunayake Airport was filmed raising concerns over the process, with the video of the incident being widely circulated on social media. (Newswire)
