News

Public urged to apply for passports only for urgent reasons

Published

10 months ago

August 26, 2024

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The Controller General of Immigration and Emigration has said that the issuance of passports will be limited due to the limited availability of blank passports.

Issuing a special media release, the Controller General has therefore requested applicants to apply for passports only if their needs are urgent.

The announcement also mentioned that new electronic passports (E-Passports) are set to be introduced soon, with the tender already awarded to a foreign firm.

The Controller General stated that in order to bridge the gap until the E-Passports are launched, the department has arranged for an additional 50,000 standard passports, which are expected to arrive by the end of October.

The statement further noted that statistics from the department indicate that only about 23% of passports issued last year were used for international travel. Considering this, the public is kindly urged to postpone non-essential passport applications until the new stock arrives.

The Department of Immigration and Emigration has apologized for any inconvenience caused and assures the public that efforts are being made to resolve the issue promptly.

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News

Ex-Immigration Controller pleads guilty

Published

58 minutes ago

July 1, 2025

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Controller of Immigration and Emigration – Harsha Illukpitiya, today (July 01) unconditionally pleaded guilty before the Supreme Court in a case related to contempt of court.

The charge stemmed from his failure to comply with a court order related to the e-visa issuance process.

The Supreme Court announced that sentencing will take place on July 24.

News

Nishantha Wickramasinghe remanded again (Update)

Published

60 minutes ago

July 1, 2025

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Former SriLankan Airlines Chairman – Nishantha Wickramasinghe has been remanded till July 15 by Chief Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali Jayathunga.

(Previous news 2025 July 01,12.15pm.)

Ex-SriLankan Airlines chief produced before court

Former Chairman of SriLankan Airlines – Nishantha Wickramasinghe has been produced before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court by prison officials today (July 01).

Wickramasinghe was arrested last week by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and is currently in remand custody,

News

Seat belt compulsory for bus drivers from today

Published

2 hours ago

July 1, 2025

editor

The National Transport Commission (NTC) has announced that starting today (July 01), it will be mandatory for all bus drivers to wear seat belts, with strict penalties for non-compliance.

Under the MotorTraffic Act, bus drivers are legally required to wear seat belts, but a rise in accidents due to drivers ignoring this rule has prompted the authorities to re-enforce it.

Police confirmed that action will be taken against drivers who fail to comply.

Seat belts to be made mandatory for all passengers in expressways

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport has also stated that wearing seat belts will be made mandatory to all passengers of light vehicles travelling on expressways from August 01, 2025.

Meanwhile, wearing seat belts will also be mandatory to all passengers of all vehicles on expressways from September 01, 2025.

Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation Bimal Rathnayake also confirmed the directive while speaking to media this morning (July 01) during an inspection tour at the Colombo Central Bus Stand.