“Either they apply for a visa or they go back,” he told the Sunday Times. “They will not receive free visas anymore.”

In March 2022, Sri Lanka’s cabinet approved a proposal by the Tourism Minister to permit free visa extensions to Ukrainian and Russian tourists who were holidaying in the country when the war broke out back home. At the time, there were 11,463 Russians and 3,993 Ukrainians, according to published reports.

In 2023, this facility was extended for another year—till February 22, 2024. As it was about to expire, Sri Lanka’s Department of Immigration and Emigration wrote separately to the Tourism Ministry, the Public Security Ministry, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their opinions on whether the privilege should be further extended. These letters were dated February 1, 2024.