Recently, the tourism ministry of Sri Lanka received a notification from the immigration control saying that the tourists from Russia and Ukraine must leave the country. The notification gave a time period of two weeks from February 23, 2024. The reason given for this is that their tourist visas will lapse. Here are all of the important details that you would need to know about this particular notice in Sri Lanka.
Russian And Ukrainian Tourists Asked To Leave Sri Lanka
According to an article which was recently published by the Hindustan Times or HT, the immigration controller of the country has issued a notification to the Ministry of Tourism. It says that Russian and Ukrainian tourists visiting the country must leave.
The notice said that their tourist visas had lapsed and therefore, they must leave the country in two weeks from February 23. Ever since the war broke out between the two countries, many people flocked to Sri Lanka to take refuge.
It is important to note that the media division of the President’s office released a statement stating that the Sri Lankan government has not yet decided to revoke the visa extensions given to Russian and Ukrainian nationals.
President Launches Investigation About This Decision
In a notice, President Wickremesinghe also said that he has ordered an investigation into how the decision was passed without a cabinet decision to revoke the previous extension of stay. If reports are to go by, it has been noticed that the tourist visa facility has been abused by them.
Hence, the decision was taken.
As per the HT article, as many as 300,000 Russians and 20,000 Ukrainian nationals have arrived in the Southeast Asian country since 2022. They were allowed to extend their Visa owing to the ongoing war between the two countries.
What are your thoughts about this particular situation? Let us know in the comments section below!
Cover Image Credits: Canva Images
For more such snackable content, interesting discoveries and the latest updates on food, travel and experiences in your city, download the Curly Tales App. Download HERE.