The following information was obtained from a February 1996 report by the Country Information Service (CIS) of the Australian Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA):

A. 2. Sri Lankan residents may apply for a driving licence at the age of 18.

B. 2. The Commissioner of Motor Traffic is the authority responsible for issuing driver's licences. The actual testing of applicants is conducted jointly by the police and staff from the Commissioner of Motor Traffic's office. In areas outside Colombo, the local police traffic branch and the Government Agent's office (or divisional secretariat as it is sometimes called) conduct testing if a person passes their test, a licence is issued.

C. 2. The information provided on a driver's licence is the holder's name, date and place of birth and residential address, as well as the type of vehicles the holder is permitted to drive. The card is a plastic card with a computer printed black-and-white "photograph" and the holder's signature.

D. 2. [In the event of the loss of an NIC, the person losing it must report it to their local police (or the nearest) station, which will prepare an incident report. The person may then make an application to the persons described in B. 1 above for a new card to be issued]. A similar procedure applies for driver's licence with the person being required to report the loss to the local (or nearest) police station, which may then issue a temporary document enabling the person to drive while they apply for a new licence.

E. 2. Licences to drive ordinary private motor vehicles (cars), have an indefinite term. Special licences-to drive commercial or heavy vehicles-have a life of 5 years, after which the holder must submit for medical, and possibly other tests.

F. 2. There have been no major procedural changes in respect of the issue of driver's licences within the last six years.

G. 2. If a driver of a vehicle is not in possession fo their licence, they must produce the licence at a nominated (usually the nearest) police station within 24 hours.

According to a February 1998 article from the Colombo-based English-language daily newspaper Daily News, the Department of Motor Traffic introduced a new written exam on 1 January 1997 for applicants for the driver's licence (11 Feb. 1998). An applicant has to obtain 75 per cent on the written exam before being able to take the driving test (ibid.). Each applicant must also submit an "original copy" of his birth certificate and National Identity Card (NIC), as well as photographs that have been certified by the grama niladhari of the area (ibid.). The article did not specify the number of photographs each applicant must provide. The Research Directorate could not find a definition of grama niladhari, although a grama sevaka is a village headman.

Information more recent than that provided above could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Country Information Service (CIS), Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA), Australia. 23 February 1996. Country Information Report No. 211/96. National Identity Cards and Driving Licences. (Document No. CX 15099) (CISNET)

Daily News [Colombo]. 11 February 1998. Uditha Kumarasinghe. "Over 90 p.c. Obtain Licences After Passing Written Test." [Internet] http://www.lanka.net/ lakehouse [Accessed 11 Feb. 1998]

Additional Sources Consulted

Department of Motor Traffic, Colombo.

High Commission for the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Ottawa.

Research Directorate. IMR. [Ottawa]. Weekly. January 1997-present.

Resource Centre. "Sri Lanka" country file. January 1996-present.

Sri Lanka Monitor [London]. Monthly. January 1997-February 1999.

Electronic sources: Internet, IRB Databases.