Can the sweeping powers of a VISA officer decide the

future of Sri Lankan scientific programs?

- Dr. Thrishantha Nanayakkara

I believe many Sri Lankans have already read about the

mobile robot MURALI (Moratuwa University Robot for Anti-Landmine Intelligence) that was developed by the local researchers to detect landmines. It was a dream of my research group who developed the mobile robot MURALI to present the work in the world’s largest robotics conference known as the IEEE International Conference of Robotics and Automation (ICRA). It is a dream of any researcher in the field of robotics to attend to this conference, because there one gets the opportunity to meet all the leaders in the field and to start strong scientific collaborations with researchers sharing similar interests.

My research paper that I submitted jointly with some

other scientists in the Robotics Institute of the

Carnegie Mellon University, USA, which is a leader in

robotics in the world, was accepted to be presented at

the ICRA2005 conference held in Barcelona Spain from

18th - 22nd April, 2005. While I was a graduate

student, I presented research papers in over twenty international conferences. But this time it was different due to two reasons. One was that this time I represent my own country as a senior lecturer of a State University, and present something that was done on Sri Lankan soil. The other was that I was supposed to present an advanced robotics application in a real world application of faster and safer landmine detection to change the lives of many those who suffer in the North and the East of my country.

The National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka that

funded the research project extended their support by allocating funds to cover my travel to Barcelona. The University of Moratuwa granted me leave and allocated funds to support the conference registration fees. I reserved air-tickets and lodging in Barcelona. It was only a matter of securing Schengen VISA to fly to Barcelona, Spain. I called the Spanish high commission to see how I can proceed with the VISA application. They recommended me to go through the French embassy because that should logically be the easiest way since the French embassy issues Schengen VISA for France, Spain, and Portugal, whereas, the Spanish high commission has to send my passport to India to get the VISA issued. Therefore, I had to go through the French embassy. I had all the documents required such as the invitation letters from the conference organizers, letters from the University approving my visit, travel insurance, bank statements, hotel reservation documents, and the fund approval letters from the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka to attend the conference. While in Japan and the US as a graduate student and a postdoctoral research fellow, securing VISA to attend international conferences was not an issue to worry about, because the officers in those embassies are well educated about the importance of such visits. But I knew that while in Sri Lanka, the case could be different because different embassies treat brown people in different ways due to the ignorance of the VISA officers who are employed in some embassies in Asian countries. But the following story showed me that the process is more than a tough process but one that can end up in a nightmare ruining your future.

I started the process of applying for VISA a little

more than one month before I was supposed to leave.

Once I went to the French embassy located in the

Rosmeid Place around 7 o’clock in the morning. The

line was already full. I was told that only fifteen applications are taken everyday. To get into that first fifteen, people have to come early in the morning and wait till 9.30 in the morning. Therefore, the first day was not for me. It reminded me how fair the American embassy was. People could submit applications on arrival and they were issued numbers so that everybody gets an opportunity to submit their applications well ahead in advance.Â

Next day, I came at 4 o’clock in the morning. Somebody

in the line said the first fifteen are already there.

This time, I decided to wait till the first fifteen

are taken. Around 7 o’clock in the morning the real

applicants started to arrive. Most of those who were

in the line were a gang that organized to reserve the

place at a fee. Being a researcher in a Government

University, I did not feel like paying them to keep a

place for me. Instead, I suggested an officer in the

embassy to issue numbers to those who were in the line

with a legitimate passport. This was not an original

idea. That was my experience in the American Embassy.

People are not harassed, and the whole process looked

far more civilized. Obviously, I had little time to

waste in such lines. Waking up in the mid-night and

driving to the embassy just to wait in a line of only

fifteen to submit the VISA application form at 9.30 in

the morning was an utter waste of time. Yet, the

officer reminded me that French do not listen to what

Sri Lankans suggest. But I never wanted to argue. I

just made a suggestion a solution to some apparent

problem that was the normal practice in the daily life

of many of the civilized countries I have been to.Â

While I was in the embassy, some Europeans came to get

some other work done. There was a sharp difference

between the way the officers in the embassy treated

and talked to them compared to how I was treated.

There was a great sense of respect and gentleness in

the conversation. It quickly explained me many things.

The officers had a racist, discriminative attitude

towards Sri Lankans. No matter how busy the Sri

Lankans maybe, they did not seem to care about the

pain and their time. They just let them waiting in the

line in the hot sun when they could think of a better

system. For the officers, those Sri Lankans waiting in

the hot sun were no different to the slaves in their

colonies. Yet, nobody dared to speak due to the

extreme powers the VISA office had to decide one’s

future. The bad track record of the French embassy

escalated the fear and suspicion that they would abuse

their sweeping powers to discriminate people.

Consequently, I had to try this painful waiting game

three times. On the third day, an officer told us that

he would issue numbers the next day, and that he would

come at 9 o’clock and make sure people get the due

opportunity. On the fourth day, we decided to come as

early as possible in the morning. Now I had few

friends who faced the same agony several times. We

waited in the line. This time, I was within the first

17 people. The officer who promised to come at 9

o’clock, never turned up. No numbers were issued to

the people in the line. He had lied us. Anyway, I was

taken in around 10 o’clock in the morning and

interviewed. The VISA office was very different from

the ones I had seen before. Somebody interviewed me

while chatting with about four people who seemed to

have paid casual visits to the room. They were just

chatting, laughing, and walking around. I was

wondering how a VISA officer could concentrate in such

an environment. One of them took my passport from the

table and browsed through the pages and told something

in French to others that made all of them laugh. Then,

one asked me whether I had really visited US and

Japan. It was not a question to be asked because my

student VISA was on the passport. Then, the only

person who seemed to be official asked me what the

conference was. Then I answered that it is the

International Conference of Robotics and Automation

2005. Then she asked me what I was going to present. I

said it is about a mobile robot that can walk in a

field of landmines to detect them. People in the room

treated me with a sarcastic look, as if they did not

believe that Sri Lankans could do such research

especially while working in Sri Lanka. Once again,

somebody said something in French. Everybody laughed.

I was the subject of a big joke. I must compare this

situation with the graceful interviews in the American

and Japanese embassies that I have experienced. In

those embassies, only one officer interviews you in a

much focused conversation. You are never laughed at.

The whole environment looks far more civilized. Then,

she asked me whether there is any relevance of my

presentation in this conference. I thought it was

obvious, because the conference had decided to include

my paper in the list of presentations. But I patiently explained the relevance of my work to this conference to this senseless lady. I was asked to submit few missing documents like detailed bank statements for the last three months by 12.30 on the following Monday (11th, April). In the guidelines for VISA applicants, it mentions about documents to prove assets in Sri Lanka. It is only in the interview I was told that I am required to submit detailed bank statements for three months. My documents of land deeds were not what French meant by assets. However, I made sure to submit these documents before the deadline. I was asked to come to collect my passport on the 13th of April. I had purchased tickets to leave on 15th of April. By this time, I had spent more than a month collecting documents and waiting in the world’s most amazing line to get within the first fifteen. My head of department in the University knows the nightmare I underwent, because I had to cancel lectures, meetings, and other official duties many times during this month. However, that is what any researcher had to face if he/she decided to return back to Sri Lanka to contribute to the country’s image in the world of science. I am aware that the Sri Lankan authorities are doing their best to change this situation.

On 13th April, I went to the French embassy to find

that my VISA had been rejected. Amidst all

international recognition of the work we had done,

amidst all official documents from the University and

the National Science Foundation, amidst all invitation

letters that quoted web-sites where my name was

displayed among the list of invitees, a racist VISA

officer could block the massive opportunity for our

country and my career. If one wishes to check, please

visit the web-site: www.icra2005.org

I asked for the reason why they did not allow me to

attend the conference. They refused to explain the

reason why my VISA was rejected despite my submission

of all those official documents. Now what happens to

all those plans to start new collaborations? What

happens to all those opportunities to build new

contacts and bring credibility to my country? I was

clueless. I called the Dean of the faculty of

Engineering, University of Moratuwa to seek help. As

usual, he responded quickly. The best he could do was

to make a request from the consulate general to

educate us as to what was wrong in the application, so

that we can try again. He had told the consulate

general that this conference is of utmost importance

to the scientific research program in the University.

Yet, the consulate general had refused to give the

reason.Â

The end result of this whole affair of returning to

Sri Lanka, carrying out some relevant research,

achieving results amidst hardships, getting research

papers accepted in recognized international

conferences, and securing state sponsorship to attend

the conference, was finding myself at a dead end

decided by a VISA officer who does not give a reason

for rejecting my VISA. If there is nobody in this

country who can at least get me the reason why my VISA

was rejected, does that mean that the most important

decision regarding our scientific programs can be

taken by some racist VISA officer? Who is going to pay compensation for the damage they caused to the value of my passport without giving any reason why they did it? Do I have to bear that for trying to work for the country?

Against this racist discriminations and harassments to

local scientists who go abroad to popularize local

inventions, what can we do? Can we trust the famous international human rights organizations to stand by us? Never! Yet, there are few things that we can do in a peaceful but powerful framework.

First, all scientists in Sri Lanka, let us make this a

point to make a new-year resolution to get together to

achieve our common dream of making our beautiful, warm

country, a prosperous country, by venturing more into

advanced research projects that can make a tangible

difference in the economy. We should understand that

most foreigners will like us to stay dependant, export

raw material and slaves, while buying their finished

products. Donors will give us fish but never a fishing

rod that will make us independent. They know that the

way out from this vicious cycle for countries like

ours is local research and development that was

vibrant in the pre-colonial era. Few civilized

countries will support it, but this experience is good

evidence that there are foreigners who will use their

extreme powers at the point of issuing VISA to block

such advancements in a systematic manner.Â

Second, our Sri Lankan authorities should try their

best to support Sri Lankan researchers to organize international research conferences in Sri Lanka, so that our researchers do not have to face harassments from racist embassies. The purpose of hosting more international scientific conferences in Sri Lanka is only to provide enhanced opportunities for local researchers to get an opportunity to mix with other researchers. An example is the International Conference of Information and Automation ( www.icia2005.mrt.ac.lk ) I am organizing together with the IEEE Sri Lanka section to be held in Sri Lanka in December, 2005. Amidst all the enthusiasm shown by the Sri Lankan researchers, I am yet to secure a decent sponsorship to host the conference in Sri Lanka. The Ministries that have a mandate to foster scientific advancement in the country should pay serious attention to supporting this kind of efforts.

Third, we can stimulate a phenomenal rate of regional

growth if South Asian researchers come together around

common goals. Through a scientific forum like a future

“SAARC forum for regional scientific cooperation”, we

could exchange scientific ideas, collaborate, organize

regional scientific conferences, and work together to

realize common regional dreams. My colleagues in India

used to say that the recent scientific advancements in

the region has at least made sure that the future

colonialists will think twice before attacking the

peace loving people in South Asia. There are many

common causes around which we can get together, an

elaboration of which is beyond the focus of this

article. If the region revives its innovative culture

lost during the colonial suppression, our scientists

will not have to face any racist discrimination like

what I faced at the French Embassy in Sri Lanka.

Therefore, I request the foreign ministry to start a

dialogue with the SAARC countries to start such a

forum. If any of the Excellencies in the SAARC foreign

missions reads this article, I humbly request you to

take the initiative through your respective

Governments.

Finally, I wish to emphasize that I have no intention

to disgrace the people in France or the Government of

France. I just wanted to raise a voice against

apparent abusing of power at the point of issuing VISA

to impede the advancement of local research projects.

Had the embassy have the slightest desire to help Sri

Lanka’s scientific advancement, they had ample

evidence to check the validity of my application,

advice me as to the chances of being rejected before

stamping VISA refusal stamp on my passport, because

the University and the National Science Foundation,

having gone through the relevant documents carefully,

had issued me letters recommending the VISA office to

issue me VISA. I just have a remote hope that the

supreme Sri Lankan authorities will at least make an

effort to get me a clarification as to why my VISA

application was rejected. I hope I have the right to

know that. I hope somebody will do it in the name of

Sri Lankan science.

- Dr. Thrishantha Nanayakkara

send a petition to

Jean-Bernard De Vaivre

Ambassador of France

Embassy of France

89 Rosmead Place

Colombo 7

Sri Lanka