• Former Controller General suspended arrival slips at all entry points since 1 May
• Police struggles to locate 1,126 Israeli arrivals due to missing data
• Immigration and Emigration TUs seek urgent reinstatement of legal requirements

The decision to eliminate arrival and departure slips, a legal requirement for all passengers entering and leaving Sri Lanka, from 1 May, has raised significant concerns regarding national security, particularly in locating Israeli citizens currently in the country, The Sunday Morning reliably learns.

Sri Lanka Immigration and Emigration Officers’ Association Secretary K.P. Manawadu had addressed this issue in a letter to the Controller General of the Department of Immigration and Emigration on 30 April.

It is learnt that from 1 May, on the order of the former Controller General, the use of arrival and departure slips had been suspended at all airports and seaports.

As explained by the Immigration and Emigration officials, the removal of these slips, mandated by the Immigrants and Emigrants Act No.20 of 1948, is seen as a critical misstep, especially given the slips’ role in monitoring the entry and exit of individuals.

The letter had highlighted the importance of the slips in collecting, analysing, and surveilling data vital for border control activities conducted by the Immigration and Emigration Department. 

It further stated that this data was also crucial for State security, aiding investigations by the State Intelligence Service and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Police Spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa confirmed that the department was facing challenges at present in locating Israeli citizens who have arrived in Sri Lanka. 

The Police has urged Israelis, as well as local hosts providing them accommodation, to inform it of their whereabouts in order to ensure they receive the necessary protection.

According to Thalduwa, a total of 1,126 individuals have arrived from Israel between 1 and 20 October. 

“We have the numbers of Israeli citizens who have arrived during this period,” he stated. 

However, he stressed that revealing their whereabouts to the media could put their lives at risk.

Meanwhile, a senior official from the Department of Immigration and Emigration, who wished to remain anonymous, said the absence of the arrival and departure cards had created a significant gap in tracking and managing foreign arrivals.

“The arbitrary decision to remove these legal requirements has severely hampered our ability to maintain national security,” the official said.

Previously, these cards, established under Regulation No.58 of 1956, were critical for State security until their abrupt suspension on 1 May, following an order from the former Controller General.

The Immigration and Emigration Officers’ Association has urged authorities to reconsider this decision and re-establish the use of the cards.

The letter had also stated that internationally, the use of such cards held unique legal value and was a basic measure in border control practices across the globe.

“The information collected through these cards is vital for health departments to monitor epidemics and ensure public safety,” he noted.

The association has also raised concerns over the current trend of issuing airport visas without comprehensive passenger information, which it deems as being dangerous in relation to national security. It has called for the reimplementation of a formal system to record passenger data upon arrival, thereby facilitating better tracking and investigation capabilities.

Nevertheless, the official said that no decision had been taken yet on reinstating the slips.

When contacted, Public Security Ministry Secretary Ravi Seneviratne admitted that the removal of arrival and departure slips had made it difficult for the Police to locate Israeli citizens. 

However, when asked whether the ministry would reinstate the slips, the Secretary stated that he would first check who had made the decision. “If it was a decision taken by the Minister, then the Minister will need to reinstate the slips.”

Several attempts to contact Controller General Nilusha Balasuriya and Department of Immigration and Emigration Media Spokesman R.G. Kannangara were futile.