Sri Lanka has temporarily suspended accepting applications for passports, said the country’s Department of Immigration and Emigration as the economic crisis continues to tighten its grip on the island nation.
The acceptance of passport applications is halted due to a result of computer system malfunction.
As per the report, the services were affected on Tuesday due to the breakdown in the computer system of the Immigration and Emigration Department.
The Department had appealed to the people to not visit the head office of the Sri Lankan Department of Immigration and Emigration for non-essential services considering the breakdown.
The Department announced that it has suspended accepting applications for passports as the country’s finance minister said that Colombo will have to endure the worst economic crisis and warned of an imminent cash crunch.
The Department of Immigration and Emigration says that the issuance of passports has temporarily been suspended due to a breakdown in the computer system for the third time this year.
Asimilar break down in the computer system was reported in May this year sparking public protests as the large number of people had been asked to visit the passport office some other day.
Accordingly, the relevant department announces that it has suspended issuing passports via all regional offices including the Head Office of the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Battaramulla.
The Department of Immigration and Emigration has suspended accepting applications for passports until the system is restored.
As a result of this, a heated situation had reportedly occurred in front of the Immigration Department this afternoon as a large number of people who had arrived to obtain their passports had voiced their protest.
However, the officials of the department and police officers had then arrived and explained the situation and sent them away.
