COLOMBO, 9 January 2007 — In view of the current security situation, Sri Lanka has imposed a ban on the import of remote control toys to the island, a senior official of the Sri Lankan Customs told Arab News yesterday. “Sri Lankan expatriates living abroad and foreign visitors will not be allowed to bring in remote control toy helicopters and airplanes through the Colombo International Airport,” the custom official said, pointing out that some of these toys are being used by terrorists in claymore mine attacks against the government soldiers and civilians.
However, he said, those expatriates who bring in toy cars and jeeps that have less than 10-meter remote operations will be exempted from the ban.
“A large number of Sri Lankans living abroad bring these toys for their loved ones back home. Unfortunately, due to the prevailing problems we are forced to confiscate these items at the Colombo airport according to the recent regulation.”
The spokesman said the other new rule stipulates that the island’s overseas workers have to pay duty on cigarettes brought into the country or purchased at the duty free shops at the Colombo airport.
“Hitherto, the workers utilized their baggage allowance for the purchase of cigarettes,” he said. “Under the new rule, passengers will not be allowed to bring in or purchase tobacco at the duty free shop under their normal duty free baggage allowance scheme,” he said.
Sri Lankans who earn foreign exchange for their country are given an annual duty free baggage allowance of $1,000 for purchases at the duty free shop at the Colombo airport. “These workers could either buy things duty free at the airport or their $1,000 worth goods purchased abroad will be exempted from customs duty.”
The government has already imposed a strict ban on smoking in public places and violators face heavy penalties in all parts of the island,” he said, pointing out that the island is a signatory to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) of the World Health Organization (WHO).
The official said on arrival, passengers carrying foreign currencies worth more than $10,000 have to make a declaration to the customs at a special desk assigned for this purpose at the airport. “Those who do not make such declarations will not be able to make duty free purchases with their currencies and such undeclared currency will be liable for confiscation by the government authorities on detection inside or outside the airport.”
