IFJ officials asked to leave SL for violating their visas

Asia Pacific Director of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Jacqui Park and another IFJ member were questioned and asked to leave the country by the Sri Lankan Immigration Department today for having conducted a media workshop at a hotel in Colombo while they were on tourist visas.

Immigration and Emigration Controller General Chulananda Perera told  that both Australian nationals were ordered out of the country as they involved in ‘unauthorized activities’ while in the country while using tourist visas.

He said that immigration officials first questioned the two Australian nationals while they were conducting a workshop organized by the Free Media Movement (FMM) at a hotel in Colombo. On being asked to explain why they were here the two nationals admitted that they had violated Sri Lanka’s immigration laws.

Free Media Movement Convener Sunil Jayasekera said that Ms Park and another IFJ member were originally not assigned to take part in the workshop organized by them. “After hearing that they were in the country we (FMM) decided to request for their presence at the workshop. They did not come here on an invitation extended by us,” he said.