Former State Minister Pandu Dias Bandaranaike jailed

UAE opens borders for fully vaccinated tourists from Sri Lanka

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has opened its borders for fully vaccinated tourists from Sri Lanka and all other countries. The Federal Authority For Identity and Citizenship (ICA) and the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) have jointly announced that, starting from 30th August, application for tourist visas will be open to people from all countries, provided that they are fully vaccinated with one of the WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines. This comes as part of t

29 Aug, 2021

Investigation launched into Hikkaduwa incident

An investigation has been launched into the incident at the Hikkaduwa vaccination center, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said. He said that there had been a clash between two groups of people who insisted on priority to be vaccinated and the situation escalated. “Some waiting in line, awaiting their jabs had already had their cards filled. To avoid a bigger clash, the Ministry of Health officials halted the vaccination drive for the day and packed up the equipment to leave with those wai

28 Aug, 2021

Visa fees and fines for foreigners revised

The visa fees and fines for foreigners has been revised, the Department of Immigration and Emigration said today. The Department of Immigration and Emigration said that a foreigner staying in Sri Lanka without a valid visa will be charged US $ 500 penalty in addition to the visa fee. The Department of Immigration and Emigration also said that USD 200 will be charged from investors, employees, students, healthcare recipients, representatives of non-governmental institutions, religious workers a

28 Aug, 2021