NIC and the permission to travel

- Virakesari Editorial

(August 02, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) It is reported that permission is refused at the Madawatchiya check point to the people who don't have National Identity Cards to travel to the south. They are also sent back. People from Vavuniya, Mannar and Vanni are unable to continue their journey to the south without the NIC. .

Earlier, people, who didn't have identity cards, showed other documents such as driving license and so on to prove their identity. However, today, the production of the NIC has been made compulsory to establish the identity. As a result, people who have lost their NICs, are unable to continue their journey even in cases of emergency.

Sadly, people who have lost their identity card cannot come to south even for an urgent purposes since only NIC is required as proof of identity. At least, urgent steps should be taken to reissue them with identity cards without any delay.

Even though, today, NIC is considered as an important document, many people in the north and Upcountry don't have NICs. Many people have lost their NICs when they were displaced suddenly and lost all their belongings.

Therefore, steps should be taken to issue the NIC without any delay. People, who have lost the NIC also should come forward to get NICs realizing the importance.

(An English translation of the Editorial in Virakesari, a Tamil daily, based in Colombo)
- Sri Lanka Guardian