Colombo, Aug 06: Parliament was suspended today after opposition members protested against Britain's decision to fingerprint Sri Lankans seeking British visas. Britain's foreign office introduced the step last month to combat abuse of Britain's asylum system. The fingerprints are to help officials identify and return failed asylum seekers from Sri Lanka who destroy their documents.

Parliamentary speaker Joseph Michael Perera suspended proceedings after members from the People's Liberation Front noisily demand the issue be debated in the legislature. The Marxist JVP is the third largest political party in the 225-member Parliament.

The British plan has been introduced in Sri Lanka on a trial basis and if successful, it is expected to be expanded to other countries, the British High Commission says.

Britain said earlier this month that Sri Lanka was chosen because a significant number of Sri Lankans make fraudulent asylum or immigration applications with a false identity. Thousands of Sri Lankans, mostly from the ethnic Tamil minority, have sought asylum in Britain since 1983 to escape from the island's bloody civil war.

Bureau Report