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The Japanese government which introduced the Japanese Grant Aid for Human Resources Development Scholarship (JDS) programme in Sri Lanka for public sector officials in 2010 extended the scholarship programme, the Finance Ministry said in a statement. The JDS programme provides opportunities to the executive level public sector officials to undergo Masters Degree and PhD programmes in prominent universities in Japan.

Accordingly, the First Framework (2010-2013) and the Second Framework (2014-2017) of this programme were successfully completed in 2013 and 2017 respectively, the Ministry of Finance noted.

The Third Framework (2018–2021) was started in 2018 to continue this programme for further period of four years. After considering the necessity of further career development of JDS fellows, the Japanese government has agreed to offer scholarships for PhD programmes for two candidates per batch. Accordingly, 150 (15 per year) opportunities for Master Degree programmes and 04 opportunities for PhD programmes have been provided under this scholarship programme.

The selection process of the second batch of the Third Framework has already been completed and the selected officials are scheduled to commence their studies in September 2019. In order to facilitate these officials, the Government of Japan has agreed to offer a grant assistance of Japanese Yen 263 million (approximately Rs. 420 million) to Sri Lanka in 2019.

The Government of Sri Lanka expects that the public officers who will be benefited under this programme will contribute to the social and economic development of the country in a productive manner with self – confidence and also contribute to strengthen the existing bilateral relationship between two countries, the Ministry of Finance said.

Two Exchange of Notes between the two Governments and Grant Agreements between Sri Lanka and the JICA for the implementation of the Human Resources Development Scholarship Programme were signed on Wednesday at the Ministry of Finance.

Agreements were signed between Japanese Ambassador in Sri Lanka Akira Sugiyama, Chief Representative of JICA Fusato Tanaka and Treasury Secretary Dr. R H S Samaratunga.

The European Union (EU) and Sri Lanka held an informal counterterrorism dialogue on Monday, chaired by EU Counterterrorism Coordinator Gilles De Kerchove together with Acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed A. Jawad.

De Kerchove underlined the EU's solidarity with Sri Lanka following the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks. Common challenges relating to violent extremism and terrorism were discussed and experience regarding responses was shared. The EU underlined the importance of efficient coordination of counterterrorism efforts, the essence of focusing on the prevention of violent extremism and the importance of counterterrorism responses to be fully in line with human rights obligations.

The EU presented a support package for Sri Lanka under the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace, to be implemented with the UNODC and UNDP. The package worth EUR 8.5 million will notably focus on law enforcement, rehabilitation and disengagement, counter-narratives, and online radicalisation.

Following the dialogue, Giles de Kerchove was set to hold meetings with President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tilak Marapana.

State Minister of Highways and Road Development Ranjan Ramanayake said that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had advised him to refrain from making any critical comments against the Mahasangha.

The State Minister made these remarks yesterday after he met with Premier Wickremesinghe who had called for a clarification on Ramanayake's recent comments on a YouTube programme that claimed young Buddhist monks were being abused at temples.

“I respect the Mahasangha at all times. I don’t have to render an apology to the Maha Sangha since I haven’t done anything wrong,” Ramanayake told reporters after the meeting at Temple Trees.

“So far no one has asked me to apologise over my remarks. If a righteous member of the Maha Sangha like the Chief prelates of the Three Chapters tell me that my statement was wrong I would make an apology,” he stated.

The Enterprise Sri Lanka Exhibition organized by the Ministry of Finance will be held at the Anuradhapura Walisinghe Harischandra Playground in Anuradhapura from the 24th to the 27th of July, the Ministry of Finance announced.

The Enterprise Sri Lanka credit scheme was implemented according to a concept of Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera with the objective of producing 100,000 entrepreneurs in the country. According to the Finance Ministry, over 47,000 loans have been registered up to date and a staggering Rs. 78,621.6 Million (over Rs. 78 Billion) has been disbursed as loans as of March 2019.

This exhibition will be a platform for intended entrepreneurs to obtain the knowhow and share knowledge on enterprise development. Arrangements have been made through the State and Private banks and other relevant agencies to provide required assistance, advises and training to be an entrepreneur. The Ministry added that the commercialization of the agro industry, promotion of the cashew and coconut based industries in the province were identified as potential sectors to be targeted for entrepreneurship through the exhibition.

This exhibition has been divided into seven different zones enabling the participants to have easy access to the venues of their choices. Accordingly, they are the State and Private Banks Zone, State and non State Educational Zone, Green Zone, New Inventors Zone, Trade Zone and Media Zone that will provide the relevant facilities to all prospective entrepreneurs.

The Trade Zone especially will have trade stalls of the Free Trade Zones in the country where people will be able to purchase ready made garments and other finished products at duty free prices.

The Educational Zone is dedicated for students who seek guidance on their future educational prospects. The Ministry of Health along with the provincial Health Department will conduct clinical services with laboratory facilities during the exhibition.

Several other government ministries and departments will also have their mobile service officers to provide their respective services. Furthermore, the Consular Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide an opportunity to all to have their certificates and other documents endorsed at one place.

This will be the second edition of the Enterprise Sri Lanka exhibition with the first event being held in Monaragala last year.

Ahimsa Wickremetunga, the daughter of the slain editor of The Sunday Leader, Lasantha Wickrematunge, filed a lawsuit against former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the District Court of Central California in April this year, alleging his involvement in her father’s 2009 assassination.

A petition was filed on behalf of Rajapaksa before the District Court in response to the lawsuit on June 27 where he has requested a dismissal of Ahimsa Wickrematunge’s civil suit. Ahimsa claims that Rajapaksa seems to enjoy unique impunity in Sri Lankan courts and therefore believe hoping for a fair trial involving him in Sri Lanka is futile.

“I often feel they are fighting against the Government, not alongside it. The Prime Minister was one of my father’s closest friends. Is the Government attempting to absolve Gotabaya Rajapaksa from this case by looking for ways for him to claim diplomatic immunity?” Ahimsa has questioned in an interview with the Daily FT newspaper.

Following are excerpts of Ahimsa’s interview with the Daily FT:

Q: What are your reasons for filing this civil action under US law? Why not file a civil suit in Sri Lanka?

A: Gotabaya Rajapaksa seems to enjoy unique impunity in Sri Lankan courts. The local Judiciary broke with over a century of tradition by preventing his arrest and halting his criminal trials in several corruption investigations. I believe hoping for a fair trial involving him in Sri Lanka is futile.

Q: Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s party men and loyalists claim this action is politically motivated. Did you time your civil suit to prevent Gotabaya Rajapaksa from becoming president?

A: I want to state very clearly that this case has nothing to do with any election. As of now no election has been announced and no party has announced any presidential candidates. It is Gotabaya Rajapaksa, after this case was filed, who came out and announced that he is running for president. He even thought it would be appropriate to promote his campaign using the Easter attacks. As far as I know no party has endorsed his candidacy even up to now.

I understand why it would be convenient to try and paint this this court case with a political brush. If the person I believe is elected president of Sri Lanka, it would only strengthen my case that justice is not possible in Sri Lanka. Given the stakes, I understand that some people are worried that my actions in their mind may impact in some way the chances of their chosen candidate being elected.

Even the idea of anybody other than Mahinda Rajapaksa ever being president of Sri Lanka again is a new prospect that arose a few years ago. But for over a decade now, my family and I have been speaking with, meeting and seeking assistance from all kinds of officials and Professionals, including different law firms, looking at different possibilities and options for obtaining justice. It was a long quest in trying to settle on the right way forward.
I allege his involvement in extrajudicial killings and attacks on journalists, but did not believe his complicity would be an obstacle to him being elected president.

Q: Your father’s murder was a campaign slogan in the 2015 election that brought about the fall of the Rajapaksa Government and finally resulted in Gotabaya Rajapaksa leaving office as Defence Secretary. But is it your sense that the Government that came to power in that election no longer cares about justice being served in the Lasantha Wickrematunge assassination case?

A: The Police officers investigating the murder have shown extraordinary courage and risked their careers to finish the case and bring out the truth. I often feel they are fighting against the Government, not alongside it. Entities across Government have refused to give murder investigators the evidence they are seeking.

The Prime Minister was one of my father’s closest friends. Is the Government attempting to absolve Gotabaya Rajapaksa from this case by looking for ways for him to claim diplomatic immunity? On the other hand, fortunately there’s been opposition from both the President and several prominent Cabinet ministers who at least now seem to want justice.

Q: Do you worry that while your case in the US might be successful, Gotabaya Rajapaksa may never be held criminally accountable for the murder of your father?

A: I am hopeful that someday Sri Lanka will elect a president and prime minister who will prioritise justice for victims of attacks against the media over the political expediency offered by associating with suspects of these crimes. Until such time, civil action in an independent jurisdiction is our only opportunity for fair trial.

Q: If your suit is successful, do you think the US Government has a responsibility to take note of the evidence led in your civil action and hold its own citizen accountable through some form of criminal prosecution for the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge?

A: I am hopeful that we will present compelling evidence in court of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s connection to my father’s assassination, that will be followed by criminal proceedings. The ideal venue for a criminal trial would be Sri Lanka, but I hope the US Government would also consider such charges as appropriate under their law.

Q: Your civil action demands compensatory and punitive damages from Gotabaya Rajapaksa for the extra judicial murder of your father, if the court finds in your favour. Rajapaksa is a US citizen. Are you aware of the status of his assets in that country?

A: My father was investigating Gotabaya’s assets at the time he was killed. He found out that Gotabaya had sold a house in Los Angeles to a Buddhist monk in 2006 for three times the purchase price. Due to the legal proceedings, I cannot comment on what I have since learnt of the current state of his assets.

Q: Moving on from the case, can you tell me what growing up with your father was like?

A: My father was one of the kindest, most down-to-earth human beings I have ever known. Due to the nature and dangers of his work he was always concerned about our safety. I never got to have a normal childhood. My siblings and I were always his number one priority. He may not have always been physically around growing up due to his work, but he was always there for us when we needed him.

Q: What do you think your father would think of you doing this case?

A: I think he would be happy that Gotabaya Rajapaksa may finally be held accountable for something. It is a matter of public record that he spent his final years trying to hold Rajapaksa accountable for all matter of wrongdoing. I filed this case because I believed that had he not done so he would be alive today. I’m sure my dad would also want me to try and live a normal life now that he’s gone. But I feel this is part of my purpose, and a big part. My life is dedicated to getting justice for the bravest man I ever knew.

Q: What are some of your interests and passions outside of this case?

A: I have always known I was put on this planet to help others and I hope to use my platform in the future for things I’m driven by such as humanitarian affairs and animal and children’s rights and mental health advocacy and of course, in honour of my father, fight for press freedom. I hope when this is all over and done with I can go on to use my voice to fight justice for others who need it and fight for other important causes dear to me.

Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Navy have launched an investigation on the alleged sale of weapons to foreigners by the Navy. It was reported that this includes investigation on weapons that have gone missing while in Naval custody.

State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene has reportedly said that he had instructed the Navy to carry out an investigation in to the allegations against the Navy that have been publicized by Avant Garde Maritime Services Ltd. Chairman Nissanka Senadhipathi last week.

Senadhipathi charged that he had information that proves several low-ranking Navy officers had sold around 800 weapons to foreign nationals for US$ 5,000 before the floating armoury business was handed over to Avant Garde.

“The weapons-handling business carried out by the Sri Lanka Navy on the ground was handed over to our ‘MV Mahanuwara’ vessel docked at the Galle Port due to the corrupt actions of several low-ranking officers involved in the weapons-handling business of the Navy. Key among the reasons for handing us the weapons-handling business from the Sri Lanka Navy was the sale of over 800 weapons to foreign nationals for US$ 5,000 (this number could be much higher), issuing licenses to these weapons, extorting money from these foreign nationals, and the entrance of foreign nationals to the country carrying these weapons posing a threat to national security. These weapons have fallen into the arms of foreign terrorist organisations like ISIS and Al-Qaeda. The future consequences of these actions are unimaginable,” Senadhipathi alleged.

He said that he had withheld this information since he did not want to tarnish the image of the Sri Lanka Navy, but was forced to reveal the alleged corruption due to various allegations being levelled against him.

Missing weapons

Senadhipathi also charged, “Before Rakna Lanka handed over the business to us, 172 weapons that were held by 24 foreign companies that were taken overseas had gone missing and we managed to travel around the world and locate 158 of those missing weapons. The balance 14 weapons remain missing to date. These weapons would have fallen into the hands of terrorists like ISIS and Al Qaeda.”

“We are in possession of a letter issued on this matter by the UN Maritime Agency. In the event one of these missing weapons are used in an assassination and is taken into custody, investigations into the weapon number will reveal that it was originally issued by Sri Lanka. Although I had informed the responsible authorities as well as the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) about this issue, action has not yet been initiated on the matter,” he added.

Probe

Meanwhile, Minister Wijewardene has noted that he was informed of these allegations and had instructed the Navy Commander to conduct an inquiry into the matter so that they can ascertain the veracity of these allegations. However, he has further noted that it was highly unlikely that such allegations were true.

“I highly doubt that Navy personnel illegally sold weapons. If it were true, then the Navy Commander at the time would have been aware. Investigations will reveal more,” the Minister has added.

Leader of the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) leader and former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen said the decision on re-assuming portfolios will be taken after discussing with the party and that the Muslim MPs were not in any hurry to accept ministerial portfolios.

Bathiudeen made these observations to the media following an event in Colombo.

Referring to the threat by MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thero that another no confidence motion against him would be presented to parliament if he re-accepted ministerial portfolios, Bathiudeen charged that all Muslim ministers resigned en masse because they gave priority to the country and not because of any threats of the Thero.

“All of us resigned not because we were scared of the monk, we resigned because we love our country and for the sake of the country,” he said.

“All Muslim ministers resigned together. If we accept the portfolios again, we will do it together. The Muslim community is not responsible for what fanatics like Zahran did. We are opposed to any form of armed conflict,” he further noted.

When questioned about the objections raised by backbench MPs of the United National Party (UNP) over moves to re-appoint him as a Minister, Bathiudeen observed that there is no such objection.

“The Prime Minister is the leader of the UNP and he has said that there was no evidence against me and I have been cleared. Also, we are not UNPers and it does not matter to us,” he said, reiterating that the Muslim MPs were not in any hurry to be are-appointed as ministers and if they are to re-accept portfolios it will be a united decision.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has revealed the deal reached with the United National Front (UNF) government led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in order to extend its support to defeat the no confidence motion (NCM) moved against the government in parliament last week.

TNA Parliamentarian Easwarapatham Saravanapavan has said that the TNA demanded a separate Tamil division in Kalmunai.

“We were undecided on how to vote on the NCM until we were certain that our demands would be met,” The Sunday Morning newspaper reported.

Saravanapavan has noted that the UNF government had finally agreed to set up a separate Tamil division in Kalmunai.

“Until 6.10 p.m. on Thursday, we were not sure how to vote. Then, we were informed that an accountant had been appointed as a first step to establish the separate Tamil division,” the TNA MP has said, adding that the TNA had decided to abstain from voting on the NCM at this juncture.

When inquired if there were any other agreements between the TNA and UNF government, Saravanapavan has noted that the TNA had indicated their main demands years earlier.

“We have already given our demands and it is up to the Government to deliver. What we want mainly is the new constitution. They must have the guts to bring it to Parliament,” he has added.

Despite rumours of a deal struck between the TNA and Wickremesinghe to must support for the NCM, the TNA remained tightlipped on the matter until Saravapavan’s revelation.

Separate division

The TNA was in a continuous battle with the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) to demanding a separate Tamil division in the Kalmunai Pradeshiya Sabha (PS).

The TNA maintained that the demand for a separate Tamil Divisional Secretariat is a decades-old request, going back to the late Appapillai Amirthalingam who once was the Opposition Leader of Parliament.

Earlier, the Prime Minister had requested the TNA to meet with the SLMC and resolve the matter amicably since the SLMC was opposed to the setting up of a separate Tamil division in the Kalmunai PS.

However, the SLMC has remained non committal about the matter following the Prime Minister’s agreement with the TNA.

Iran is expected to sign a deal with Sri Lanka to receive the country’s famed tea over the next two years in exchange for the settlement of loans obtained for the purchase of oil, the Sunday Times reported.

As reported, the issue was discussed during a meeting between the Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Minister Tilak Marapana and Minister of Plantation Industries Navin Dissanayake together with other relevant officials of the two ministries, Plantation Industries Ministry Secretary J.A. Ranjith said on July 11.

Sri Lankan tea exporters are currently facing a crisis since not only has the prices of tea dropped but the industry is unable to export to some of its key markets due to U.S. sanctions imposed on dollar transactions with Iran.

During the meeting they had discussed how to resolve the issue pertaining to the sale of Ceylon Tea to Iran due to the current U.S. sanctions imposed on Iran as a result of which banks refuse to engage in dollar transactions with Iranian banks.

“As a result, now we are looking at settling this through the loans from the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) amounting to $200 million,” the ministry secretary said.

At the moment the officials were working out the mechanism to be adopted to settle this without any transactions, he said.

Ranjith explained that if this would be adopted they could sell tea to Iran for the next two years under this arrangement. The rate at which tea could be bought would be based on the market realities, he said.

As part of the transaction the CPC has agreed to pay the tea exporters some of the money directly thereby avoiding any financial transaction between the two countries in the sale of tea, the ministry secretary stated.

In the meantime, Iranian officials were also engaged in discussions to work out a mechanism on how the deal can go through and in this respect negotiations were still underway.

In 2018, Sri Lanka sold 23,914 metric tons (MT) of tea to Iran and in the previous year it was much higher at 27,418 MT. Iran is among the top five markets that purchases teas from Sri Lanka. The other key markets are Iraq, Turkey and Russia.

Backbench MPs of the United National Party (UNP) have called for the impeachment of President Maithripala Sirisnea once again. The first call to impeach the President was mooted after the 51 day coup late last year.

It is learnt that a group of UNP backbench MPs are now preparing to bring move an impeachment motion against President Sirisena at the next parliamentary session.

UNP backbencher MP Hesha Withanage has told The Sunday Morning that the President must accept some of the responsibilities for the attack and make a public statement on the matter.

“Through the revelations in the Parliamentary Select Committee, it is becoming increasingly clear that the President, as the one in charge of the Defence Ministry, is also responsible for allowing the tragedy to take place. He must acknowledge this fact publicly and he should divulge whatever information he has on the attacks as well,” he has said.

Withanage has noted that the UNP backbenchers expect to bring the impeachment motion in Parliament during the next session on 23 July and that the President has till then to make an announcement.

“The Prime Minister has announced that he would appear before the Parliamentary Select Committee probing the Easter Sunday attacks and disclose all information he had on the attacks. If the President takes similar steps, then we won’t bring the impeachment motion,” Withanage has said, adding that if the President fails, they would go ahead with the impeachment motion.

A 1/3 of MPs is required to present an impeachment motion to Parliament, which would mean the signatures of 75 MPs in the current Parliament.

Leadership unaware

However, it is learnt that the UNP leadership is unaware of the discussion between party backbenchers to commence an impeachment process.

Despite discussions on several occasions on the possibility of impeaching the President, the party seniors had not reached any official decision as such.

A senior UNP Minister said that there has not been any official party decision to impeach the President and such a decision needed the endorsement of the party leadership and seniors.

JVP to support

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) meanwhile has said the party would extend its support to the impeachment motion only if the UNP had the backing of the necessary 75 parliamentarians to move the motion.

“If the UNP has the needed 75 MPs, then the JVP will give its support to the impeachment motion,” JVP MP Bimal Rathnayake has told The Sunday Morning.

In Sri Lanka, fintech holds many promises, and while local banks are investing heavily in digitalization, many challenges still need to be addressed before a real, dynamic fintech ecosystem emerges.

When it comes to digital finance, it is safe to say that Sri Lanka is way behind the curve. Banks across the country are struggling to bring Sri Lankans to the digital era and consumers are still reluctant of digitally driven banking services, preferring conventional banking.

Indrajit Wickramasinghe, chief executive of Union Bank of Colombo, told Euromoney that Sri Lanka has been “slower to embrace digital and fintech,” because “culturally, a lot of people still prefer to visit the bank.”

Sri Lankans are very attached to their banks, and though the country has an overwhelmingly rural population with just 19% living in urban areas as of January 2018, Shehan Senanayake, a financial analyst at Colombo-based Frontier Research, estimates the domestic financial inclusion rate to be standing at around 80%, well above the region’s average.

This is mainly thanks to domestic banks which have worked hard to bring banking services to poorer, remote areas, and have become an important part of the local community, with people commonly gravitate towards their local branch to pay utility bills, draw pensions and transfer money.

Though old habits die hard and despite Sri Lankans’ reluctance of digital solutions, domestic banks are still pushing for digitalization.

One of the pioneers is Nations Trust Bank, which became the first bank to launch a pure digital banking service, FriMi, in 2017. Commercial Bank of Ceylon has its own digital banking offering called Flash, and NDB introduced its fully digital and paperless branch NDB Neos in January this year.

Dimantha Seneviratne, group chief executive of NDB Bank, said the bank is investing heavily in digital with an aim to “emulate the best of the world’s best digital banks, like [Singapore’s] DBS.” NDB Bank plans to roll out new, fully automated NDB Neos outlets around the country that are able to onboard customers with a minimum of physical friction. In June 2018, Sampath Bank made headlines when it launched a blockchain-based system that allows account holders to gift up to LKR 10,000 (US$56) to anyone in their smartphone’s contact list.

Fintech in Sri Lanka

While the Sri Lankan banking sector is pushing for greater digitalization, a few brave entrepreneurs and non-bank financial providers have launched fintech solutions to serve the market.

Dialog Axiata, Sri Lanka’s largest telecommunications firm, launched in 2012 a mobile money service called eZ Cash. So far, eZ Cash has been rather successful, processing in 2017 LKR 25.5 billion (US$144 million) worth of transactions. At the end of 2017, it had three million users.

In September 2017, Dialog Axiata bought a majority stake in Colombo Trust Finance to expand its digital finance offering. Renamed Dialog Finance, the division is set to roll out later this year several new online lending services and seeks to partner with local and foreign digital financial providers.

According to Frontier Research’s Senanayake, mobile money and payment services are the country’s “most significant” fintech success and beside eZ Cash, there were 12 central bank-licensed mobile-money operators and two providers of cellphone-based e-money services as of the end of 2017.

Some of the most notable solutions in the space include DirectPay, an electronic payment solution, Park and Pay, an app that lets motorists find, book and pay for vacant parking spaces anywhere in Colombo, and JustPay, a mobile payment solution by LankaClear that allows customers to make retail payments up to LKR 10,000 (US$56) by transferring funds from their current or savings account to the merchant’s account directly.

Another segment that’s emerging in Sri Lanka is peer-to-peer lending with the launch of the country’s first platform, Helios, in early 2018. Helios connects borrowers with investors through an online marketplace, and as of July 2019, the platform had channeled some LKR 4 million (US$22K) in loans. Helios secured its second round of funding earlier this month.

Crowdisland is another Sri Lankan fintech solution. Launched in 2016, the platform matches local entrepreneurs with angel investors around the world.

The government is now considering to revive its visa-on-arrival facility, it is learnt. The Sri Lanka visa-on-arrival scheme was suspended after the Easter attacks, but now the country is planning to bring it back for 39 countries and is likely to go in effect from August 1.

The country’s visa-on-arrival was suspended on April 25, after the April 21 attack killed 258 people. At that time, the visa-on-arrival policy was laid out to increase tourism during the off-season period.

According to reports, Minister of Tourism, John Amaratunga alongside the Department of Immigration and Emigration, are working on a proposal that would seek the approval of the Sri Lankan Cabinet for the revival of free visa, and as well as the visa-on-arrival scheme.

The programme, if revived, will return for a trial period of six months. However, the visa on arrival programme is going to open up for 39 countries, except India and China for the time being. If the trial is a success, India and China will also be extended this advantage to in the future.

The Sri Lankan government is also going to put in place a strong monitoring system that will keep a tab on people coming into the country. The new system is going to work to prevent criminals and troublemakers from entering the country.