COLOMBO, Nov 6: Controversial UK Channel 4 director, Callum Macrae, who has earned the wrath of the Sri Lankan government with his documentary “No Fire Zones….”, has been granted “on arrival visa” to cover the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet CHOGM), it was announced here.
Significantly, India has declined a visa to him to visit Delhi next week.
Sri Lanka Minister of Mass Media and Information, Keheliya Rambukwella, confirmed that the on arrival visa has been granted to Mr Macrae.
“He had applied for the visa with a group of 30 UK based media personnel, who will come here along with the UK Prime Minister from India on 14 November, to attend CHOGM. His request was accepted,” the minister said indicating that in the changed circumstances, the British journalist would have to apply for visa fresh.
“As he (Mr Macrae) is expected to come here with the UK PM’s media group, we have granted him the visa along with the rest. However, now that he has been denied visa to India, he will not be able to be with David Cameron’s team, who will make a day-long visit in India, before heading to Sri Lanka to attend CHOGM,” the minister said, a local media report said today.
Mr Rambukwella further said that if he fails to make it to India, “he will have to apply separately and we would await his visa application”.
On his part Mr Macrae told Ceylon Today that he received official confirmation from Sri Lanka that he would be granted a visa on arrival. But he was concerned over the delay in getting the visa for India to attend the premiere of his latest documentary on Sri Lanka in New Delhi.
According to the Channel 4 director, he had applied for the Indian visa in February this year, in order to attend the pre-launch press conference about the film. “While the producer of the film was granted a visa, I was not…” he told the daily. (UNI)
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