Sri Lanka Pursues New Visa Agreement with Thailand
Thailand has revised its visa policies with effect from September 15, a move that will impact Sri Lanka among a group of countries identified for changes to existing visa concessions. Speaking at the Cabinet decisions media briefing, Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath said explained that Thailand had recently conducted a review of its visa issuance policies covering a number of countries around the world. According to the Minister, Thailand identified 60 countries, including Sri Lanka, for which existing visa facilities would no longer continue under the current framework. He said Thai authorities had cited a number of cases involving the misuse of visa privileges by foreign nationals, including Sri Lankans, as a key reason behind the decision. The Minister pointed to several incidents reported in recent months involving Sri Lankan nationals allegedly engaging in unlawful activities after travelling to Thailand under existing visa facilities. He noted that authorities had recorded multiple cases ranging from drug-related offences to attempts to bring illegal substances into Sri Lanka from Thailand. As a result, Thailand decided to include Sri Lanka among the 60 countries affected by the revised visa policy, which is scheduled to take effect on September 15. However, Minister Herath said the Sri Lankan Government had already initiated bilateral discussions with Thai authorities on the matter. According to the Minister, Thailand has proposed the signing of a separate bilateral agreement governing visa facilitation between the two countries. He said discussions on the proposed agreement are currently underway, with Sri Lanka already incorporating observations and proposals submitted by the Department of Immigration and Emigration into the draft framework. The draft has also been referred to the Attorney General's Department for further review and finalization. Minister Herath expressed confidence that the two countries would be able to sign the bilateral agreement in the near future, enabling Sri Lankan travellers to continue enjoying special visa facilities. He further revealed that he is scheduled to visit Thailand on September 14 to sign a separate labour agreement relating to the employment of Sri Lankan workers in Thailand. The Minister said he expects to hold discussions during that visit on the proposed bilateral visa arrangement as well.
