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| Thursday, 15 July 2004 |
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Call for 'Visa on Arrival' for travel to India Shirajiv Sirimane reporting from Polonnaruwa Sri Lanka will make fresh representation to the Indian government to consider a Visa on arrival policy for Sri Lankans visiting India. The Minister of Investment promotion and Tourism Anura Bandaranaike, who was the Chief Guest at the official opening of the Deer Park Hotel Giritale, as one of the 'Colours of Angsana' property of the Banyan Tree Group Singapore he said this would be taken up at his next visit to India. He said that Indian citizens are being offered Visas on arrival at Colombo and this has made India fielding the highest number of tourists to Sri Lanka. However the reverse is not happening due to various reasons and I hope to take up this when I visit India next month," he said. The Maldives was the first country to offer visas on arrival and later Sri Lanka and India adopted this policy. This resulted in two domestic international airline operators from India, Air Sahara and Jet air selecting Sri Lanka as their first international destination and having regular flights to Chennei (Madras) and Bangalore. He said that the business community both local and foreign had second thoughts on the alliance with the JVP. "They have now all realised that the JVP as well as the United Peoples Freedom Alliance is not against the private sector and are closely working with them," he said. Some are trying to capitalise on the recent suicide bomb explosion in Colombo to gain political mileage. "However people now know that was an act of vengeance and it is not an indication of a looming war," he said. The Peace process is progressing and Sri Lanka will never be converted to a Lebanon, Afghanistan or a Baghdad. He said that the people have once again given a clear mandate at the Provincial council elections wining all seven and this would help the government to continue for six years. "We will show our majority in parliament at the right time," he said. The Deer Park Hotel, which is owned by the Jinasena management, came in to a long-term management agreement with the Singaporean investors, which own four star plus hotels in Maldives, Great Barrier Reef Australia, Bangalore, China and Laos. The Minister said that he canceled a proposed familiarisation tour, which was organized by ten officials of the Sri Lanka Tourist Board last month. They were to spend Rs. 5 million for this tour. I told them that if they want to get familialised with Singapore the best thing to do was to read the auto biography of former Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Quen Yun. |
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