The Jaffna Travel Permit (M.O.D. Clearance)

This is a guide for non-Sri Lankans who wish to travel to the Jaffna area. At present, (October 2010), there are various restrictions and permits pertaining to travel in this area. Since in my own experience I found a dearth of useful information on the internet, I will post a proper guide here. (Note to my regular readers: this is in no way meant to be entertaining, merely informative. You may skip this one if you like). My sources for this information are primarily myself, having gone through the process successfully, as well as conversations with the officers-on-duty at the Omantai checkpoint, Ministry of Defense HQ, and the Colombo and Jaffna airfields.


Do You Need A Permit To Travel In The North?
In short: yes.

If you are a Sri Lankan citizen, you may travel freely. If you are a foreign citizen "of Sri Lankan birth", you may travel anywhere but some areas (i.e. the Vanni) will still require permits. Other foreigners, meaning tourists, may get permits for some areas and not at all for others. Note that if you are with an NGO or somesuch, the rules are different, and I can't help you here.

What Areas Require Permits?
You must obtain a permit to travel anywhere in the Jaffna peninsula. The "Vanni" region from Omantai (just north of Vavuniya) to the Elephant Pass are completely off limits for now. You may however travel freely, without permit, to Mannar Island and along that road.

Can I Get A Permit To Travel To Jaffna By Road?
No. At present, only foreigners "of Sri Lankan birth" may use the A9 highway to the north. All other foreigners must get permission to travel to Jaffna by air.

HOW TO GET M.O.D. CLEARANCE FOR AIR TRAVEL TO JAFFNA
Set aside a day or two for this at least, and do it as far in advance as you can, or you may encounter complications that make the process take longer.

To apply for M.O.D. Clearance, you must apply in person at the Ministry of Defense checkpoint in Colombo. In theory, you can also apply via fax, but this involves communicating via phone with whichever Defense Ministry flunkie is on duty when you call (the numbers, should you wish to try, are 0112430880, 0112430881, etc.), and is also regarded as a special circumstance which they may not wish to indulge in your case. Best to go to Colombo. The "office" is the security checkpoint at the entrance to the Defense Ministry compound, at the extreme northern end of Galle Face Green, just before a short bridge crosses a water channel towards the Fort neighborhood and the Secretariat.

Take with you your passport (for ID proof), a photocopy of your passport (to hand in), and a pen and paper. You will be asked to produce a "Letter of Request", which is a simple statement saying who you are, where you want to go, the dates of your travel, and why. This can simply be written on a scrap of paper before the soldiers' very eyes, and needs say no more than "My name is Mr. James Jameson, citizen of Jamesland. I wish to travel to Jaffna on dates January 1 to January 17, for reason of tourism." You must also give your passport number. When citing your reason for travel, simple tourism will suffice. There is no need to be elaborate, and you will do yourself no favors by saying "I am filled with passion by the plight of the Tamil people, who inspire my gut-wrenchingly realistic and widely-published poetry..."

After you apply, ask when to come retrieve your permit, which should be given as a matter of routine. If you come early in the day, you may receive it that same evening, otherwise the next evening is likely.

Now you have permission to fly to Jaffna, all you need is your ticket.

GETTING A TICKET TO FLY TO JAFFNA
Currently, the only air service flying to Jaffna is the Sri Lankan Air Force's own "Heli Tours" service. There are only three flights a week (MWF) in each direction, and the plane is quite small, so book a ticket as far in advance as possible, or you may find yourself forced to travel on different dates, sending you back to the Defense Ministry for permission again (you may guess that this happened to me).

Reputable travel agents, which can be found conveniently nearby in the Fort and Kollupitiya neighborhoods, should have the contacts to get the ticket. Otherwise, ask at the Defense Ministry checkpoint when you apply and they may furnish you with the card of a local agent who does business with them. In order to get your ticket you must have your M.O.D. clearance first. Make photocopies of this as well, because your travel agent will need them, along with the usual passport copies etc. to procure the ticket. The price of a round-trip ticket is approximately 18,000 Sri Lankan Rupees (~$170), plus your agent's commission.

ON THE DATE OF TRAVEL
Show up punctually by the check-in time printed on your ticket. Remember, aside from South Asian bureaucratic tendencies, you are dealing with military notions of time here. You must go to the Rathmalana domestic airport (not the international airport), in the southern suburbs of Colombo. A hired driver will have no difficulty getting there. At check-in, your bags will be searched (perhaps repeatedly), and then weighed. Note that you may take only 15kg of luggage, which is not that much, so you may want to leave bulky items in the care of your Colombo hotel or some such arrangement. Then, for obscure reasons, you yourself will be weighed on an old-fashioned scale with an enormous gauge that everyone within fifty yards can read, providing mirth all around.

When finally, after a series of waits in the airport, you board the plane, the flight is about an hour long.

The airport on the Jaffna side, called Palali, is a much more militaristic affair than the one in Colombo. It is also quite far from the city so the Air Force provides a bus to take you to Jaffna.

On the date of your return flight to Colombo, present yourself at the appointed check-in time to the Heli Tours "office" (in reality a small concrete box with a desk inside), located across from the military's Civil Affairs Office at the corner of Hospital Rd. and 3rd Cross Street in Jaffna, and a bus will come to take you to Palali. Once again, if you get a rickshaw or car, this will be very easy to find.



OK, I think that's everything you really want to know, bizarre circumstances excepted. If you need further information you can always try the Ministry of Defense phone line (0112430880, 01124300881, etc.), but don't count on being well understood.

-GFB