Sri Lanka is facing heightened national security concerns following the controversial suspension of arrival and departure slips—a critical tool mandated by law for monitoring passenger entry and exit. Since the 1 May suspension ordered by the former Controller General of Immigration and Emigration, authorities have struggled to track foreign visitors, particularly Israeli nationals, with Sri Lankan police confirming they are unable to locate 1,126 Israeli arrivals due to missing data, local media report.
The decision, which eliminated the need for arrival and departure slips at all airports and seaports, has sparked strong reactions from immigration officials, who warn that the absence of this essential documentation creates a significant gap in border control and national security efforts. The Sri Lanka Immigration and Emigration Officers’ Association Secretary, K.P. Manawadu, raised concerns in a letter on 30 April to the Controller General, underscoring that the slips were not only a statutory requirement under the Immigrants and Emigrants Act No.20 of 1948 but also vital to the functioning of state intelligence and criminal investigations.
An anonymous senior official from the Immigration and Emigration Department confirmed that without arrival and departure slips, data collection for tracking foreign nationals and assisting state agencies has been severely hindered. The former arrival and departure cards, instituted under Regulation No.58 of 1956, served a dual purpose: monitoring individuals entering and exiting the country and gathering information essential for public health and safety measures.
For instance, the absence of accurate records has hampered authorities in locating Israeli citizens currently in Sri Lanka, who arrived between 1 and 20 October. Police Spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa emphasized that although police are aware of the total arrivals from Israel within this period, tracing their exact locations has proven challenging. Thalduwa appealed to Israeli nationals and their local hosts to voluntarily inform the police of their whereabouts to ensure security. However, he stressed that revealing any specific details to the media could endanger the visitors’ safety.
The Immigration and Emigration Officers’ Association has since called for an immediate reinstatement of the arrival and departure cards, arguing that such data is standard in border control practices globally and provides critical information for tracking, analysis, and surveillance. They expressed further concerns that issuing airport visas without comprehensive passenger data could weaken national security, as the uncollected information limits the government’s ability to conduct effective surveillance or respond to potential threats.
Public Security Ministry Secretary Ravi Seneviratne acknowledged that the suspension had indeed complicated efforts to locate the Israeli visitors. However, he stopped short of committing to reinstating the slips, noting that he first needed to confirm whether the decision came from the Minister of Public Security. If so, the decision would need ministerial approval to reverse.
