COI Report March 2012 - UK Border Agency - Home Office
COI Report March 2012 - UK Border Agency - Home Office
COI Report March 2012 - UK Border Agency - Home Office
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7 MARCH <strong>2012</strong> SRI LANKA<br />
details page appear on the computer screen in normal light, ultra-violet and infrared, in<br />
order to identify if the document has been forged or tampered with in any way. Non Sri<br />
Lankans will be checked against any existing database records and officers will check<br />
arrival endorsements in the passport. Passports belonging to all passengers i.e. Sri<br />
Lankan and foreign nationals, are endorsed with an immigration officer‘s embarkation<br />
stamp. Once through the immigration control, passengers proceed to the main<br />
departure lounge.‖<br />
25.21 BHC letter of 5 January <strong>2012</strong> 511 went on to report that:<br />
―The Department of Immigration & Emigration (DIE) are notified only when a Court<br />
decides to impound the suspect‘s passport or an arrest warrant is issued. The details of<br />
such persons would be placed on their alert or wanted list within their database. There<br />
is no other mechanism to ensure that the Immigration <strong>Office</strong>rs are aware of such<br />
instances. Apart from these Court powers, Immigration <strong>Office</strong>rs have no power in law to<br />
prevent persons embarking. The other method, which is rare and case specific, is that<br />
the State Intelligence Service (SIS) can inform Immigration <strong>Office</strong>rs of individuals<br />
suspected of terrorist activity and those on a wanted list. Again the details of suspects<br />
would be put on the DIE database. Without Court sanction, Immigration officers are<br />
powerless to put an individual in detention if they are otherwise satisfied that they have<br />
a right to enter or live in Sri Lanka. The State Intelligence Service (SIS) has an office<br />
adjacent to the immigration embarkation control and DIE officials can refer embarking<br />
passengers to them if they think it necessary.<br />
―Further security checks are conducted when passengers arrive at the boarding gate.<br />
Hand baggage and belongings, including mobile phones and shoes, are passed<br />
through a scanner. Passengers proceed through a scanner and are frisked depending<br />
on whether the alarm is activated. There is then a further boarding card check<br />
conducted by airline staff prior to entering the holding lounge. On many flights with<br />
European destinations, plus some with onward connections to Europe, North America<br />
and Australia, Airline Liaison <strong>Office</strong>rs from several overseas missions and/or trained<br />
airline document checkers make further checks on passenger‘s passports to check their<br />
admissibility in their transit and /or destination countries.‖<br />
Entry procedures<br />
25.22 A letter from the British High Commission (BHC), Colombo, dated 5 January <strong>2012</strong>, 512<br />
reported on the entry procedures at the Colombo Bandaranaike Airport.<br />
―Arriving passengers should be provided with a Department of Immigration & Emigration<br />
arrival card by the carrying airline. Depending on which stand the aircraft has arrived at,<br />
arriving passengers will either walk from the gate on the main pier, or be deposited by<br />
bus from outlying stands at the entrance to the immigration arrivals hall. Those<br />
passengers transferring to an onward flight will approach the transfer desk. Current<br />
figures indicate that between 45-50% of all passengers using Colombo Airport are<br />
transit passengers. They generally remain in the transit/departure areas until their<br />
onward flight departs, although those requiring overnight accommodation would have to<br />
seek entry to Sri Lanka at the immigration control.<br />
511 British High Commission Colombo, letter dated 5 January <strong>2012</strong><br />
512 British High Commission Colombo, letter dated 5 January <strong>2012</strong><br />
The main text of this <strong>COI</strong> <strong>Report</strong> contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 3 February <strong>2012</strong>.<br />
Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section<br />
to 2 <strong>March</strong> <strong>2012</strong>.<br />
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