The issuance of biometric passport was proposed at the first Colombo team meeting by the Regional Immigration Liaison Officer Network early this year.
Immigration and Emigration Controller Chulananda Perera said in inaugural speech that experts from Australia and Hong Kong are preparing feasibility reports on implementing biometric passports.
He said introducing the ‘N’ series of passports, installing new equipment in the Documentation Examination Laboratory are among suggestions submitted. Introducing an electronic travelling system and issuing visas online are also raised.
“We are rapidly working towards the practice of issuing visas online without delay,” he said. Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General’s Department is still discussing about expanding the laws of immigration and emigration, he added.
Perera said the 30 years of war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam saw criminal and terrorist elements abusing the Sri Lankan system to commit cross-border crimes and violations.
“Identity theft, passport forgeries, counterfeit visas, illegal crossing of borders both by air and sea to make bogus asylum claims have undermined our border and national security interests as well as security of countries in the region and beyond,” he said.
He noted that although the LTTE was defeated, the involvement of the LTTE in trans-national organized crime was well documented in illicit trading of arms, narcotics, money laundering, human smuggling and trafficking in persons.
The Immigration Liaison Officers could maintain direct contacts with the authorities in the host country to improve exchange of information concerning flows of illegal immigrants.
Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand are among the Southeast Asian countries that have started issuing e-passports.
The use of e-passports, or biometric passports by 2015, is mandatory for member countries of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Pia Rufino
Quelle/Source: futureGov, 30.03.2011
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