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South Asian journalists win demand for visa free travel
Sunday, 15 April 2007 - 9:44 AM SL Time
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South Asian foreign ministers have at long last agreed to a 2001 proposal by the South Asian Free Media Association to provide visa free travel for journalists within the region,but with certain limitations.
The proposal was first mooted by SAFMA during the 2001 SAARC summit in Nepal and pursued at successive summits,but certain countries(not Sri Lanka) expressed reservations and put off decision making for a later date.
Relentless pursuit of their demand finally paid dividends when foreign ministers attending the recently concluded 14 th SAARC summit in New Delhi,agreed to the proposal after much deliberation.
In the interim it was decided to issue visa free travel stickers for 50 journalists from each country.The journalists would be selected by the respective governments,Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon said.
The New Delhi Declaration adopted by `SAARC journalists Summit III`which met on the eve of the SAARC summit, proposed that pending a final decision on free movement of all journalists meeting the required critieria,50 from the `mainstream media`of each member country be given stickers for visa free travel within the region.
India has already offered to unilaterally liberalise visas for journalists.
All irritants in the way of free travel for journalists will hopefully be cleared at the next meeting of SAARC foreign ministers,India`s External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said.
This years SAFMA summit had as its theme `Journalists above Divides` and was held at the Ashok Hotel in New Delhi.
With SAARC designating 2008 as `Year of the Media` it is hoped that all outstanding demands of journalists would be granted before the next summit,a SAFMA spokesperson said.
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finlay
Joined: Mar 2007
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15 Apr 2007 12:33:54 GMT Report for Abuse
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| 'I really cannot understand why the Sri Lankan Government does not insist that the Sri Lankans are treated the same way as they treat foreigners. Any foreigner as far as I know is given one month's free visa on arrival in the country. Why are not the Sri Lankans not treated the same manner? Otherwise Sri Lankan Government should insist that foreigners obtain visas before they allowed in to Sri Lanka' |
mageychintana
Joined: Nov 2005
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15 Apr 2007 14:52:59 GMT Report for Abuse
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Finlay,
The only thing the government can do to make the situation better for Sri Lankans who travel abroad is to develop the country to a extent and create such an environemnt in which the countries population is not inclined to migrate. The reason why our government has opened up its borders to foreigners and why foreigners keep tight security on their borders boils down to simple suppply and demand. |
finlay
Joined: Mar 2007
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16 Apr 2007 02:51:08 GMT Report for Abuse
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| 'I was not thinking of migration. I was interested only in fair play. With all the problems in the country there are people who come back to live in Sri Lanka. I was thinking of people who visit India for pilgrimages and other countries to visit their kith and kin' |
Abdulsalaam
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16 Apr 2007 03:26:58 GMT Report for Abuse
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I really cannot understand why the Sri Lankan Government does not insist that the Sri Lankans are treated the same way as they treat foreigners.
Sri Lanka badly needs foreign tourists. So we are in NO position to lay down rules. Even worse is that we, I believe the only nation in the world, have to go through a humiliating finger printing process to get any visa to the UK or USA. Has this humiliation stopped any Sri Lankan from queuing up early in the morning in front of the UK and US embassies? NO. Has any one made any protest to these embassies? Sadly no. I had the disgusting experience of watching on TV Dr. Sarath Amunugama, Finance Minister then, quite SHAMELESSLY offering himself to be finger printed at the UK High Commission. Couldn't he have point blankly refused to be finger printed? NO, he DIGRACEFULLY used this as a photo opportunity.
I hate to be personal and use offensive language. But as a Sri Lankan, I am infuriated that we are being humiliated so brazenly and our politicians care two hoots. Come to think of it, if our politicians acted responsibly, wouldn't Singapore be competing with us today? |
kiwikanga
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16 Apr 2007 03:29:13 GMT Report for Abuse
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Abdulsalaam,
Beggars cannot be choosers! Add to that, who is the SL politician who has even an atom of self respect?
Edited By - kiwikanga - 16 Apr 2007 03:42:05 GMT |
wijeyesinghe
Joined: May 2005
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16 Apr 2007 05:51:58 GMT Report for Abuse
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Can demand But?????
In the past we had free travel for SL passport holders
Tamils led by LTTE is responsible for us to loose this privilege
Some Tamils ever undress to their underwear to stop deportation from UK
No point in demanding to have any hope we must at first get rid of LTTE menace |
Abdulsalaam
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16 Apr 2007 05:54:33 GMT Report for Abuse
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Kiwikanga
Agreed. But then, why should this country have an over supply of crooked politicians who have perfected the art of hoodwinking the people and taking them for a ride day after day? Why are the people routinely electing them and placing them in positions of power? Haven't the people yet learnt that these crooks will only make their lives more miserable than before despite the rosy promises made? Is there any future for this country if this trend continues? What is the solution? |
kiwikanga
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16 Apr 2007 14:53:00 GMT Report for Abuse
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Abdulsalaam,
It was Sir Winston Churchill who said a Nation gets the Leaders that they deserve. The majority in SL are now self centered people who support a candidate at an election for personal gain. ie very often jobs are promised, electricity for housing is promised etc etc. Its only a few people who vote for a party or a candidate whom they think are capable of doing some kind of national service quite apart from personal gain. Most of the candidates who seek election are people who are seeking to feather their own nests and live an easy life of luxury with the interests of the country put far behind. They are master craftsmen at deception and are easily able to hoodwink foolish voters. The result is what we see.
One way of preventing or discouraging undesireables entering politics is to do away with the unprecedented perks ( not seen anywhere in the developed world) that are on offer for Parliamentarians as was the case before 1977. That way people genuinely interested in working for the benefit of the country will come forward and the perks will not be the attraction.
The next item that should go away is the Proportional Representation (Manaapa) system of election which has resulted in no accountability which was there before 1978. Today in an electorate the voter does not know whom to go to complain about shortcomings. There are many MPs representing the electorate but there is no One to take responsibility. Previously if the local MP had neglected his electorate he would be kicked out at the next election. Not any more. Unprecedented election violence is also attributable to the perks and the PR system as now it has become very competative and lucrative!
These I see as evils that have to be done away with to solve the corruption, hoodwinking and tomfoolery resorted to by the village thug and racketeer to seek entry to parliament.
Edited By - kiwikanga - 16 Apr 2007 16:12:07 GMT |
Abdulsalaam
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16 Apr 2007 17:37:11 GMT Report for Abuse
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Kiwikanga
Do you agree with what Winstn Churchill said? If so, your remedy doesn't tackle the root cause which is the people themselves who don't deserve any better leaders than they have got. Shouldn't the people be made deserving better leadership before the changes are made to the system? How do we do that? |
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