Despite minister’s assurance, delays continue in obtaining passports View(s):By Namini WijedasaThe first batch of machine-readable passports (MRPs) being bought as a stopgap measure to solve an unprecedented shortage of travel documents is yet to arrive, despite Public Security Minister Vijitha Herath saying they were due between October 12 and 15. The first installment of 10,000 passports will then be sent, authoritative sources from the Department of Immigration and Emigration (DIE) said. But the Court of Appeal, through an injunction, had ordered the suspension of the ePassport tender. This was pending the consideration of a writ petition filed by Epic Lanka (Pvt) Ltd., the losing bidder in an allegedly mismanaged ePassport tender that also went to Thales/JIT. The Thales MRPs will have new security features and will be Sri Lanka’s “P” series passport.

Source: Sunday Times October 12, 2024 19:47 UTC