Outrage at ‘whites only’ party spurs Sri Lanka to scrap long-term visas for Russians, Ukrainians

It follows outrage over a “whites only” event advertised at a Russian-run nightclub on the Indian Ocean island.

The Sarayka lounge, situated in the popular resort town of Unawatuna in the south of the country, had planned to host a “White Party” last month.

But a poster about the event that was widely circulated on social media caused outrage as it included a line saying “Face Control: White”, which many people took to mean that non-white people would be refused entry.

Shortly after the party was cancelled, the Sri Lankan Tourism Development Authority announced that it would be scrapping free long-term visa extensions for Russian and Ukrainian tourists as of February 23, although a 14-day grace period will allow those without new visas to stay until March 7.

Public Security Minister Tiran Alles told Reuters that any affected people wishing to remain in Sri Lanka would have to pay around US$50 for a 30-day visa.

“Whoever wants to stay back can apply for new visas,” Alles said. “They can immediately renew their visas and remain here.”

In a statement issued in response to the nightclub incident, the Russian Embassy in Colombo said: “Russia strongly condemns all forms of racial discrimination and nationalism” and called on its citizens to follow local laws and customs.

According to official statistics, almost 200,000 Russians and around 5,000 Ukrainians visited the island last year.

But its economy has shown some signs of revival more recently, growing by 1.6 per cent from July to September, Reuters reported.