Visa rules to the Philippines relaxed

THE Government of the Philippines has lifted many restrictions pertaining to the issue of visas to Sri Lankans. This decision was taken following discussions held between Sri Lankan Prime Minister D.M.Jayaratne and Philippines President Benigno Aquino in Manila recently.

Accordingly, in future, Sri Lankans who intend to visit the Philippines will be issued visas on arrival at the Manila Airport. In addition to this, direct flights will also be started between Colombo and Manila.

The Prime Minister invited the Philippines business community to invest in new ventures in Sri Lanka. Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne on behalf of President Mahinda Rajapaksa also invited the Philippines President to visit Sri Lanka. The Philippines leader has accepted the invitation, and praised Sri Lanka for the timely action taken to eliminate terrorism and establish lasting peace in the country.