Foreign preachers sans proper documents removed from Sri Lanka

Amidst a strict ruling by the Department of Immigration and Emigration (DIE) regarding foreign preachers entering Sri Lanka for prayer festivals sans relevant religious visas is in place, the authorities raided another congregation in Nuwara Eliya during the weekend and ordered two foreign pastors to leave the country with immediate effect.

 

A flying squad from the DIE Investigation Division from Colombo arrived at Nuwara Eliya on Friday evening to inspect a blessing festival with the information that two foreign preachers were engaged in promoting religious activities without any permission from the DIE.

 

An event named 47th Annual Bible Seminar of Jesus Lives Evangelical International scheduled to take place from March 10 to 12 and March 14 to 16 in two separate sessions at the Nuwara Eliya Town Hall auditorium was raided by the DIE officials.

 

A Senior DIE investigator told yesterday that they found Indian and Malaysian male preachers who were amongst the congregation and had failed to submit any approval papers to participate in religious activities in the country.

 

Pastor cum musician Joel Thomasraj from Chennai and Pastor Moses Melchizedek, founder and President of Petra Evangelical and Deliverance Church in Malaysia were found to have arrived in Colombo last week on a simple on arrival tourist visa to take part in the blessing festivals.

 

The DIE officials during preliminary investigations in Jaffna learnt there was a blessing festival scheduled in Nuwara Eliya a week after and made the detection on Friday.

 

The concerning foreign preachers had been questioned regarding their presence in the country and both had claimed no knowledge in having to apply for special religious visas if they were to participate in any religious promotional tasks in Sri Lanka.

 

The two pastors had reportedly departed Colombo respectively on Saturday and Sunday and their local invitees had strictly been warned to refrain from such activities in the future.