Sri Lanka is currently struggling to resolve a passport shortage, unable to obtain new passports due to a court order and unable to revert to the previous supplier due to a prior Cabinet decision, Public Security Minister Vijitha Herath revealed at the weekly post-Cabinet briefing.
Minister Herath stated that the new government is working with the Supreme Court to resolve the issue quickly. Following a Cabinet decision, the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Public Security B.M.D. Nilusha Balasooriya was appointed as Acting Controller General of Immigration and Emigration, after the previous Controller General, Harsha Illukpitiya, was remanded by a Supreme Court order.
The passport crisis stems from the former government’s failed attempt to introduce an e-passport system. The minister said “With no e-passports and insufficient old passport stock, this led to long queues for passports”, adding the new supplier failed to deliver by the promised date, leaving the Immigration Department with only 50,000 passports in stock, while 3,000-3,500 passports are typically issued daily. With a legal challenge from the former supplier and an interim court order preventing the new supplier from involvement, Sri Lanka is facing a severe passport shortage.
The department expects a stock of 47,500 passports later this month, but further printing and equipment delays are expected to prolong the crisis.
