– Sunday Times – 29th November 2009
Early evacuation back to Colombo is the only solution for stranded workers in Saudi Arabia
By Leon Berenger
A large number of Sri Lankan migrant workers who have taken refuge under a bridge in the Saudi city of Jeddah have contracted influenza and been affected with skin diseases after they were drenched in flood waters caused by recent heavy rains in the oil-rich kingdom.
Actor-turned politician Ranjan Ramanayake who is in constant touch with the stranded workers told the Sunday Times that the situation was worsening by the day with no relief in sight for some 300 Lankans who are known to be currently living under the bridge.
Lankan migrant workers who have taken refuge under a bridge
He added that the recent media exposure had prompted the Sri Lankan Mission in Riyadh to supply two cooked meals each day to the group. “Supplying meals alone is not enough. The solution to the problem is to evacuate the group back to Colombo at the earliest. This responsibility lies with the Bureau for Foreign Employment and the Government”, Mr. Ramanayake who is also the opposition leader in the Sabaragamuwa Province said.
He said the authorities have been dragging their feet over the issue, despite the fact that they earn millions of rupees in the form of a fee from each worker leaving the country for employment overseas.“These monies should be utilized in cases such as this, instead of uttering false promises and lies”, Mr. Ramanayake said.
Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Bhaila said it was planned to bring the group back in batches whenever there are flights available. He added that a group of 23 persons were brought back to the country earlier this week and another batch of 17 persons were already lined up to leave Jeddah on the next available flight.
He said these persons are without proper travel documents and are allowed to leave that country on Emergency Exit Certificates issued by the Sri Lankan embassy.
“Another issue is the non-availability of flights since all the airlines are over-booked owing to the ongoing Hajj festival,” Mr. Bhaila added.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Lankan bridge dwellers refuse government assistance
Daily Mirror 24th November 2009
By Kshanika Argent
Sri Lankan migrant workers living under the Sharafiya Bridge in Jeddah have refused assistance from Sri Lankan officials stating they would rather be deported by the Saudi Government. The Sri Lankan’s did however request meals, Keheliya Rambukwela Minister of Foreign Employment Promotions told Daily Mirror Online.
Minister Rambukwela said, “As Sri Lankan’s we have an obligation to see to their comfort but they are not willing to come with us to our embassy safe house. They’d rather take their chance staying under the bridge to be deported so for now we’ll provide them with meals seeing as this is all we can do at the moment.”
He added that 99% of the Sri Lankan’s living under the bridge have overstayed their visas or have run away from their employers and come to this particular spot, like other nationalities with the hope of being deported without paying a penalty fee.
Minister Rambukwela explained that the Saudi government sends a police bus on regular rounds to arrest and then deport the bridge dwellers.
He further added that the number of Sri Lankan migrant workers under the bridge has been greatly exaggerated and that many other nationalities, including Indonesians, Filipinos and Indians also living under this bridge.
Despite the incident, relations with Saudi remain cordial. Minister Rambukwela stated that the Saudi’s have been ‘very supportive’ in the recent past, having spent USD 150 million on deporting Sri Lankan’s over the past 2 months.
Meanwhile Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Hussein Bahila who returned home this morning from a visit to the Sri Lankan’s living under Sharafiya Bridge stated that the bridge issue is a ‘never ending problem’.
Minister Bahila said, “We offered women refuge at the safe house but they don’t want to leave the men. When we offered the men a place to stay they complained that it was too far from the bridge and that they cant miss the police bus.” He added “We can only advise them against acting in this way in the future but the ones deported will only be replaced by a another batch.”
By Kshanika Argent
Sri Lankan migrant workers living under the Sharafiya Bridge in Jeddah have refused assistance from Sri Lankan officials stating they would rather be deported by the Saudi Government. The Sri Lankan’s did however request meals, Keheliya Rambukwela Minister of Foreign Employment Promotions told Daily Mirror Online.
Minister Rambukwela said, “As Sri Lankan’s we have an obligation to see to their comfort but they are not willing to come with us to our embassy safe house. They’d rather take their chance staying under the bridge to be deported so for now we’ll provide them with meals seeing as this is all we can do at the moment.”
He added that 99% of the Sri Lankan’s living under the bridge have overstayed their visas or have run away from their employers and come to this particular spot, like other nationalities with the hope of being deported without paying a penalty fee.
Minister Rambukwela explained that the Saudi government sends a police bus on regular rounds to arrest and then deport the bridge dwellers.
He further added that the number of Sri Lankan migrant workers under the bridge has been greatly exaggerated and that many other nationalities, including Indonesians, Filipinos and Indians also living under this bridge.
Despite the incident, relations with Saudi remain cordial. Minister Rambukwela stated that the Saudi’s have been ‘very supportive’ in the recent past, having spent USD 150 million on deporting Sri Lankan’s over the past 2 months.
Meanwhile Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Hussein Bahila who returned home this morning from a visit to the Sri Lankan’s living under Sharafiya Bridge stated that the bridge issue is a ‘never ending problem’.
Minister Bahila said, “We offered women refuge at the safe house but they don’t want to leave the men. When we offered the men a place to stay they complained that it was too far from the bridge and that they cant miss the police bus.” He added “We can only advise them against acting in this way in the future but the ones deported will only be replaced by a another batch.”
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Delegation to help Saudi stranded
– Daily News – 13th November 2009
A special Sri Lankan delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Bhaila will visit Saudi Arabia shortly to look into the welfare of a group of Sri Lankan workers reportedly roughing out under the Kandahar Bridge and make arrangements to bring them back through legal and diplomatic intervention, Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Minister Kehiliya Rambukwella said. He said according to reports this group included nearly 300 Sri Lankans.
The Sri Lankan Embassy in Saudi Arabia is taking steps to provide them with required facilities. Sri Lankans had been found living under this bridge after losing their employment for various reasons earlier too and the Saudi Government had taken steps to send them back to Sri Lanka after the necessary legal procedure, he said.
A special Sri Lankan delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Bhaila will visit Saudi Arabia shortly to look into the welfare of a group of Sri Lankan workers reportedly roughing out under the Kandahar Bridge and make arrangements to bring them back through legal and diplomatic intervention, Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Minister Kehiliya Rambukwella said. He said according to reports this group included nearly 300 Sri Lankans.
The Sri Lankan Embassy in Saudi Arabia is taking steps to provide them with required facilities. Sri Lankans had been found living under this bridge after losing their employment for various reasons earlier too and the Saudi Government had taken steps to send them back to Sri Lanka after the necessary legal procedure, he said.
Lankans stranded in Jeddah cry for help – Island – 13th November 2009
by Norman Palihawadena
A Sri Lankan maid stranded in Jeddah , Saudi Arabia cried her heart out at a press conference held by Uva Provincial Council Opposition leader Ranjan Ramanayake via a teleconferencing facility at Hotel Nippon yesterday.
She told the press that there were about 350 Lankans stranded and leading a miserable life under a bridge without proper food, sanitary facilities. "I don’t want to reveal my identity. There are five other pregnant women like me. The bandages on our hands and legs are an indication that we were subject to torture by our Saudi employers. We came here to escape these unscrupulous employers. Please take us back to Sri Lanka ," she cried during a tele-conference.
Another recruited as a welder said that he was asked to work as a shepherd in the scorching sun. He had escaped and reached the bridge in Safina. He said that various people supplied them with food items but at times many went without meals. He, too, appealed to the authorities to take the stranded workers back to Sri Lanka .
Ramanayake said that on and off he had brought to the notice of Sri Lankan authorities the hardships faced by Lankan migrant workers and was somewhat happy that as in the past on this occasion, too, his efforts had started to pay dividends since the Foreign Employment Bureau was taking steps to fly them back to Sri Lanka .
A Sri Lankan maid stranded in Jeddah , Saudi Arabia cried her heart out at a press conference held by Uva Provincial Council Opposition leader Ranjan Ramanayake via a teleconferencing facility at Hotel Nippon yesterday.
She told the press that there were about 350 Lankans stranded and leading a miserable life under a bridge without proper food, sanitary facilities. "I don’t want to reveal my identity. There are five other pregnant women like me. The bandages on our hands and legs are an indication that we were subject to torture by our Saudi employers. We came here to escape these unscrupulous employers. Please take us back to Sri Lanka ," she cried during a tele-conference.
Another recruited as a welder said that he was asked to work as a shepherd in the scorching sun. He had escaped and reached the bridge in Safina. He said that various people supplied them with food items but at times many went without meals. He, too, appealed to the authorities to take the stranded workers back to Sri Lanka .
Ramanayake said that on and off he had brought to the notice of Sri Lankan authorities the hardships faced by Lankan migrant workers and was somewhat happy that as in the past on this occasion, too, his efforts had started to pay dividends since the Foreign Employment Bureau was taking steps to fly them back to Sri Lanka .
Several Sri Lankans living under a bridge in Jeddah-Daily Mirror – 10th November 2009
Sri Lankan migrant workers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia say they have been living under a bridge seeking help from the authorities to come back home.
One Sri Lankan worker who wished to be anonymous told BBC Sinhala service that nearly 3000 migrant workers, including Sri Lankans, have been living under the Sharafiya bridge in the Saudi capital for months.
"We all have been house maids or in factory workers and were forced to leave the workplace due to various harassments or as a result of not being paid by the employers. Now we are stranded here having no means to go back home," he said.
Many stranded workers neither have money nor food, unless some passers by offer something to eat, he added.
"There are some who have been living under this bridge for over one year," he said.
He accused the Sri Lankan authorities of not taking efforts to send them home.
Rejecting the accusation, the Sri Lankan authorities say the workers, who have overstayed their visa in Saudi Arabia , are using the bridge as a tactical move to leave the country without paying a penalty fee.
Kingsly Ranawaka, chairman of Foreign Employment Bureau, told BBC Sandeshaya that Sri Lanka has repatriated nearly 5000 similar workers over the last 17 months.
"When migrants come to this place the Saudi government offer them free air tickets and send them home," he said.
He added that the government will take steps to bring the workers home but warned that another group will replace the current migrants as soon as they were removed. (BBC Sinhala)
One Sri Lankan worker who wished to be anonymous told BBC Sinhala service that nearly 3000 migrant workers, including Sri Lankans, have been living under the Sharafiya bridge in the Saudi capital for months.
"We all have been house maids or in factory workers and were forced to leave the workplace due to various harassments or as a result of not being paid by the employers. Now we are stranded here having no means to go back home," he said.
Many stranded workers neither have money nor food, unless some passers by offer something to eat, he added.
"There are some who have been living under this bridge for over one year," he said.
He accused the Sri Lankan authorities of not taking efforts to send them home.
Rejecting the accusation, the Sri Lankan authorities say the workers, who have overstayed their visa in Saudi Arabia , are using the bridge as a tactical move to leave the country without paying a penalty fee.
Kingsly Ranawaka, chairman of Foreign Employment Bureau, told BBC Sandeshaya that Sri Lanka has repatriated nearly 5000 similar workers over the last 17 months.
"When migrants come to this place the Saudi government offer them free air tickets and send them home," he said.
He added that the government will take steps to bring the workers home but warned that another group will replace the current migrants as soon as they were removed. (BBC Sinhala)
Alarming trend of domestic worker deaths persists
By Josie Ensor
Daily Star staff
BEIRUT: At least six domestic migrant workers are believed to have committed suicide in the past month in Lebanon . But rather than being anomalies, their deaths are the most recent in an alarming trend. According to Human Rights Watch, more than one female migrant worker dies a week on average, and many more are injured trying to escape harsh working conditions in the country.
Last month, 26-year-old Ethiopian Matente Kebede Zeditu, was found hanged from an olive tree in Harouf, southern Lebanon . Ram Embwe, a 23-year-old Nepalese national, fell from the building where she worked in the Beirut suburb of Shiah a few days later, and Kassaye Atsegenet, 24, reportedly jumped from a seventh floor balcony in the neighborhood of Gemmayzeh in an attempt to free herself from the home in which she felt a prisoner.
“There is a clear pattern here and it can’t be ignored,” says Nadim Houry, a migrant rights researcher with the US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW). “People try to pass off suicides among migrant workers, particularly the Ethiopian community – saying that they are crazy and have higher suicide rates anyway, but you cannot attribute this to national characteristics.”
Human-rights advocates in the region believe these women are either pushed to suicide by poor working condition and abuse from with their employers or fall while attempting to escape. It is not uncommon practice for these migrant maids to have their passports taken away, or to be locked inside for years at a time by those who employ them.
There are believed to be over 200,000 domestic workers in Lebanon , many of whom are smuggled from Sri Lanka , Nepal , the Philippines and Ethiopia . In the last year, both Ethiopia and the Philippines took the step of banning travel to Lebanon due to the high number of suspicious deaths among the domestic worker community.
The ban has only pushed the trade underground, however, and agencies in the two countries are now sending women through third countries like Yemen .
Lebanon’s Labor Ministry attempted to tightened legislation on foreign workers in January this year by introducing a standard contract, but Houry says they have failed to enforce the new rights with commissioning bodies and watchdogs.
But, as Houry points out, the deaths of these female workers are the effect, not the cause. “It is the tip of an iceberg- a manifestation of the real underlying problem and this problem runs deep in our society.” Houry says a culmination of isolation from the outside world, the lack of privacy the women experience, coupled with the feeling there is no way out, leads women to take these drastic steps.
“Most of them sign a two to three year contract, where the employer pays up to $2,000, so when they realize they are unhappy after a couple of months and want to leave they can’t as they cannot afford to pay the money back. That is how they get trapped.
“They end up taking enormous risks to escape and it results in death.”
The growing pattern has not gone unnoticed, and one concerned Lebanese citizen has even set up a blog, “Ethiopian Suicides,” to catalogue incoming reports of deaths in the migrant community. The blog calls for Lebanese to treat their domestic workers “more humanely to stop them from killing themselves,” and has received support from human-rights groups in the region.
But, Lebanon cannot take all the blame for these women’s deaths.
Houry says agencies in the countries supplying workers go into the rural areas to lure recruits by knowingly giving them false impressions of work in the Middle East .
“For these [recruiters] the logic of profit outweighs the well-being of the person, and they will tell them anything to get them to come,” Houry says. “They forget there are people involved and it isn’t just a business.”
The site that reported the deaths of two Madagascan girls, Madagascar Online, even describes the situation tragedies as a paradisiacal holiday gone horribly wrong.
“The Lebanese adventure ended in a graveyard for Vololona and Mampionona,” the author writes. “The Lebanese paradise promised by recruitment agencies to Malagasy workers proves to be closer to hell than expected.”
One of the girls, a young 21-year-old mother named locally only as Mampionona, left Madagascar to work for a Lebanese family only a month before her death. In that short time she worked here, she wrote home saying she was forced to work long hours, often until 2 a.m, and was rarely allowed outside the house.
In almost all of the cases, including Mampionona’s, the police verdict has been suicide. However, both Migrant Rights, a group campaigning for migrants working in the Middle East , and Human Rights Watch, are questioning the cause of death.
Fatima Gomar, editor of Migrant-Rights.org, told The Daily Star that “the immediate course should be to investigate suicides of migrant workers as possible homicides, with the employer as the main suspect. If the investigation shows that the maid was mistreated by her employer, [they] must face consequences.”
Gomar and Houry agree that authorities need to conduct more thorough investigations into these cases in order to first rule out the possibility of murder.
Police should hold employers, agencies and embassies to account for domestic workers, Houry says, and “until there are proper investigations into these incidents, these needless deaths will continue.”
Daily Star staff
BEIRUT: At least six domestic migrant workers are believed to have committed suicide in the past month in Lebanon . But rather than being anomalies, their deaths are the most recent in an alarming trend. According to Human Rights Watch, more than one female migrant worker dies a week on average, and many more are injured trying to escape harsh working conditions in the country.
Last month, 26-year-old Ethiopian Matente Kebede Zeditu, was found hanged from an olive tree in Harouf, southern Lebanon . Ram Embwe, a 23-year-old Nepalese national, fell from the building where she worked in the Beirut suburb of Shiah a few days later, and Kassaye Atsegenet, 24, reportedly jumped from a seventh floor balcony in the neighborhood of Gemmayzeh in an attempt to free herself from the home in which she felt a prisoner.
“There is a clear pattern here and it can’t be ignored,” says Nadim Houry, a migrant rights researcher with the US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW). “People try to pass off suicides among migrant workers, particularly the Ethiopian community – saying that they are crazy and have higher suicide rates anyway, but you cannot attribute this to national characteristics.”
Human-rights advocates in the region believe these women are either pushed to suicide by poor working condition and abuse from with their employers or fall while attempting to escape. It is not uncommon practice for these migrant maids to have their passports taken away, or to be locked inside for years at a time by those who employ them.
There are believed to be over 200,000 domestic workers in Lebanon , many of whom are smuggled from Sri Lanka , Nepal , the Philippines and Ethiopia . In the last year, both Ethiopia and the Philippines took the step of banning travel to Lebanon due to the high number of suspicious deaths among the domestic worker community.
The ban has only pushed the trade underground, however, and agencies in the two countries are now sending women through third countries like Yemen .
Lebanon’s Labor Ministry attempted to tightened legislation on foreign workers in January this year by introducing a standard contract, but Houry says they have failed to enforce the new rights with commissioning bodies and watchdogs.
But, as Houry points out, the deaths of these female workers are the effect, not the cause. “It is the tip of an iceberg- a manifestation of the real underlying problem and this problem runs deep in our society.” Houry says a culmination of isolation from the outside world, the lack of privacy the women experience, coupled with the feeling there is no way out, leads women to take these drastic steps.
“Most of them sign a two to three year contract, where the employer pays up to $2,000, so when they realize they are unhappy after a couple of months and want to leave they can’t as they cannot afford to pay the money back. That is how they get trapped.
“They end up taking enormous risks to escape and it results in death.”
The growing pattern has not gone unnoticed, and one concerned Lebanese citizen has even set up a blog, “Ethiopian Suicides,” to catalogue incoming reports of deaths in the migrant community. The blog calls for Lebanese to treat their domestic workers “more humanely to stop them from killing themselves,” and has received support from human-rights groups in the region.
But, Lebanon cannot take all the blame for these women’s deaths.
Houry says agencies in the countries supplying workers go into the rural areas to lure recruits by knowingly giving them false impressions of work in the Middle East .
“For these [recruiters] the logic of profit outweighs the well-being of the person, and they will tell them anything to get them to come,” Houry says. “They forget there are people involved and it isn’t just a business.”
The site that reported the deaths of two Madagascan girls, Madagascar Online, even describes the situation tragedies as a paradisiacal holiday gone horribly wrong.
“The Lebanese adventure ended in a graveyard for Vololona and Mampionona,” the author writes. “The Lebanese paradise promised by recruitment agencies to Malagasy workers proves to be closer to hell than expected.”
One of the girls, a young 21-year-old mother named locally only as Mampionona, left Madagascar to work for a Lebanese family only a month before her death. In that short time she worked here, she wrote home saying she was forced to work long hours, often until 2 a.m, and was rarely allowed outside the house.
In almost all of the cases, including Mampionona’s, the police verdict has been suicide. However, both Migrant Rights, a group campaigning for migrants working in the Middle East , and Human Rights Watch, are questioning the cause of death.
Fatima Gomar, editor of Migrant-Rights.org, told The Daily Star that “the immediate course should be to investigate suicides of migrant workers as possible homicides, with the employer as the main suspect. If the investigation shows that the maid was mistreated by her employer, [they] must face consequences.”
Gomar and Houry agree that authorities need to conduct more thorough investigations into these cases in order to first rule out the possibility of murder.
Police should hold employers, agencies and embassies to account for domestic workers, Houry says, and “until there are proper investigations into these incidents, these needless deaths will continue.”
Saudi executions raise questions about legal help for convicted overseas Lankans
– Sunday Times 8th November 2009
By Malik Gunatilleke
The execution of two Sri Lankans in Saudi Arabia this week has once again raised concerns that Sri Lankans working overseas do not have adequate legal representation when they get into trouble and are convicted for offences.
The two Sri Lankan nationals were beheaded on Wednesday in Jeddah , Saudi Arabia , after being convicted for theft and murder in 2007. The crime is said to have taken place in November 2005. It is alleged that a group of 12 armed persons, including seven Sri Lankans, had robbed and murdered a Saudi woman. Judgement was passed in June 2007, and two Sri Lankans, K. M. S. Bandaranaike and Haleema Nissa Cader, were sentenced to death. Muhammed Naushad Barmil, an Indian national and the husband of Haleema Nissa Cader, was also sentenced to death.
Five other Sri Lankans convicted in connection with the robbery and murder were handed five-year sentences along with 500 lashes. Meanwhile, it has emerged that the defendants had no legal representation during the trial and that the court case was conducted in Arabic, with the accused understanding little or nothing of the court proceedings.
Foreign Employment Bureau deputy director P. G. Yapa told the Sunday Times that the two executed Sri Lankans were registered with the bureau and that they had been given legal assistance by way of document translations.
“We made several appeals to the Saudi authorities, but all our appeals were rejected, with no reasons given,” Mr. Yapa said. “We did all we could for the families concerned.” Mr. Yapa said the bureau had also facilitated in flying a family member to Saudi to meet the accused, as well as covering the cost of bringing back to Sri Lanka the child of one of the victims.
The Saudi authorities had made no attempt to inform the Sri Lanka government, the families of the accused, or the media about the date of the execution. Mr. Yapa said this was the usual practice in Saudi Arabia . “Once a person is sentenced, there is a period for appeal, and after that the Saudi authorities will execute the accused without informing any of the relevant authorities or family,” he said.
The deputy director of the Consular Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ministry was not obliged to make appeals on behalf of Sri Lankans convicted overseas, but had done so in this instance through the Attorney-General. He confirmed that the ministry’s appeals were rejected by the Saudi authorities, and that no further action would be taken on the matter.
“Apart from this case, there are many other Sri Lankan nationals convicted in Saudi Arabia , while hundreds have been charged for brewing illicit liquor. There’s very little we can do, especially in a case where the defendants have already made a confession,” he said.
According to Amnesty International (AI), which condemns executions, the confessions of the accused in the Saudi case were probably obtained under duress during police interrogations. AI said the accused persons had had no legal representation throughout their imprisonment and trial.
According to AI, 321 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia since 2007, 134 of them foreign nationals. At least 106 foreign nationals are awaiting the death penalty out of a total of 137 convicted persons.
By Malik Gunatilleke
The execution of two Sri Lankans in Saudi Arabia this week has once again raised concerns that Sri Lankans working overseas do not have adequate legal representation when they get into trouble and are convicted for offences.
The two Sri Lankan nationals were beheaded on Wednesday in Jeddah , Saudi Arabia , after being convicted for theft and murder in 2007. The crime is said to have taken place in November 2005. It is alleged that a group of 12 armed persons, including seven Sri Lankans, had robbed and murdered a Saudi woman. Judgement was passed in June 2007, and two Sri Lankans, K. M. S. Bandaranaike and Haleema Nissa Cader, were sentenced to death. Muhammed Naushad Barmil, an Indian national and the husband of Haleema Nissa Cader, was also sentenced to death.
Five other Sri Lankans convicted in connection with the robbery and murder were handed five-year sentences along with 500 lashes. Meanwhile, it has emerged that the defendants had no legal representation during the trial and that the court case was conducted in Arabic, with the accused understanding little or nothing of the court proceedings.
Foreign Employment Bureau deputy director P. G. Yapa told the Sunday Times that the two executed Sri Lankans were registered with the bureau and that they had been given legal assistance by way of document translations.
“We made several appeals to the Saudi authorities, but all our appeals were rejected, with no reasons given,” Mr. Yapa said. “We did all we could for the families concerned.” Mr. Yapa said the bureau had also facilitated in flying a family member to Saudi to meet the accused, as well as covering the cost of bringing back to Sri Lanka the child of one of the victims.
The Saudi authorities had made no attempt to inform the Sri Lanka government, the families of the accused, or the media about the date of the execution. Mr. Yapa said this was the usual practice in Saudi Arabia . “Once a person is sentenced, there is a period for appeal, and after that the Saudi authorities will execute the accused without informing any of the relevant authorities or family,” he said.
The deputy director of the Consular Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ministry was not obliged to make appeals on behalf of Sri Lankans convicted overseas, but had done so in this instance through the Attorney-General. He confirmed that the ministry’s appeals were rejected by the Saudi authorities, and that no further action would be taken on the matter.
“Apart from this case, there are many other Sri Lankan nationals convicted in Saudi Arabia , while hundreds have been charged for brewing illicit liquor. There’s very little we can do, especially in a case where the defendants have already made a confession,” he said.
According to Amnesty International (AI), which condemns executions, the confessions of the accused in the Saudi case were probably obtained under duress during police interrogations. AI said the accused persons had had no legal representation throughout their imprisonment and trial.
According to AI, 321 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia since 2007, 134 of them foreign nationals. At least 106 foreign nationals are awaiting the death penalty out of a total of 137 convicted persons.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Delegation to help Saudi stranded
– Daily News – 13th November 2009
A special Sri Lankan delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Bhaila will visit Saudi Arabia shortly to look into the welfare of a group of Sri Lankan workers reportedly roughing out under the Kandahar Bridge and make arrangements to bring them back through legal and diplomatic intervention, Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Minister Kehiliya Rambukwella said. He said according to reports this group included nearly 300 Sri Lankans.
The Sri Lankan Embassy in Saudi Arabia is taking steps to provide them with required facilities. Sri Lankans had been found living under this bridge after losing their employment for various reasons earlier too and the Saudi Government had taken steps to send them back to Sri Lanka after the necessary legal procedure, he said.
A special Sri Lankan delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Bhaila will visit Saudi Arabia shortly to look into the welfare of a group of Sri Lankan workers reportedly roughing out under the Kandahar Bridge and make arrangements to bring them back through legal and diplomatic intervention, Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Minister Kehiliya Rambukwella said. He said according to reports this group included nearly 300 Sri Lankans.
The Sri Lankan Embassy in Saudi Arabia is taking steps to provide them with required facilities. Sri Lankans had been found living under this bridge after losing their employment for various reasons earlier too and the Saudi Government had taken steps to send them back to Sri Lanka after the necessary legal procedure, he said.
Lankans stranded in Jeddah cry for help
Island – 13th November 2009
by Norman Palihawadena
A Sri Lankan maid stranded in Jeddah , Saudi Arabia cried her heart out at a press conference held by Uva Provincial Council Opposition leader Ranjan Ramanayake via a teleconferencing facility at Hotel Nippon yesterday.
She told the press that there were about 350 Lankans stranded and leading a miserable life under a bridge without proper food, sanitary facilities. "I don’t want to reveal my identity. There are five other pregnant women like me. The bandages on our hands and legs are an indication that we were subject to torture by our Saudi employers. We came here to escape these unscrupulous employers. Please take us back to Sri Lanka ," she cried during a tele-conference.
Another recruited as a welder said that he was asked to work as a shepherd in the scorching sun. He had escaped and reached the bridge in Safina. He said that various people supplied them with food items but at times many went without meals. He, too, appealed to the authorities to take the stranded workers back to Sri Lanka .
Ramanayake said that on and off he had brought to the notice of Sri Lankan authorities the hardships faced by Lankan migrant workers and was somewhat happy that as in the past on this occasion, too, his efforts had started to pay dividends since the Foreign Employment Bureau was taking steps to fly them back to Sri Lanka .
by Norman Palihawadena
A Sri Lankan maid stranded in Jeddah , Saudi Arabia cried her heart out at a press conference held by Uva Provincial Council Opposition leader Ranjan Ramanayake via a teleconferencing facility at Hotel Nippon yesterday.
She told the press that there were about 350 Lankans stranded and leading a miserable life under a bridge without proper food, sanitary facilities. "I don’t want to reveal my identity. There are five other pregnant women like me. The bandages on our hands and legs are an indication that we were subject to torture by our Saudi employers. We came here to escape these unscrupulous employers. Please take us back to Sri Lanka ," she cried during a tele-conference.
Another recruited as a welder said that he was asked to work as a shepherd in the scorching sun. He had escaped and reached the bridge in Safina. He said that various people supplied them with food items but at times many went without meals. He, too, appealed to the authorities to take the stranded workers back to Sri Lanka .
Ramanayake said that on and off he had brought to the notice of Sri Lankan authorities the hardships faced by Lankan migrant workers and was somewhat happy that as in the past on this occasion, too, his efforts had started to pay dividends since the Foreign Employment Bureau was taking steps to fly them back to Sri Lanka .
Monday, November 9, 2009
Australia, Sri Lanka sign agreement to fight human smuggling
Daily Mirror-10th November 2009
By Dianne Silva
Australia and Sri Lanka today signed an agreement to combat human smuggling which included setting up a national level focal point in Sri Lanka to deal with the issue. The agreement was signed with visiting Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith a short while ago.
Speaking to reporters in Colombo this evening the Australian Foreign Minister said that both Sri Lanka and Australia are faced with an immense challenge to counter human smuggling and both countries believe they can do more to address the issue.
“Combating people smuggling requires long term commitment,” the Australian Foreign Minister said adding that two of his officials who accompanied him to Sri Lanka will remain here to further discuss the issue.
Meanwhile speaking to reporters Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, stated that during talks between Australia and Sri Lanka today both countries had also discussed the resettlement of displaced people in the north as well as steps to counter LTTE activities in Australia .
Asked why Australia has not banned the LTTE in Australia Mr. Smith said that Australia has already taken steps to deal with the LTTE under Australian law and under the UN system.
By Dianne Silva
Australia and Sri Lanka today signed an agreement to combat human smuggling which included setting up a national level focal point in Sri Lanka to deal with the issue. The agreement was signed with visiting Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith a short while ago.
Speaking to reporters in Colombo this evening the Australian Foreign Minister said that both Sri Lanka and Australia are faced with an immense challenge to counter human smuggling and both countries believe they can do more to address the issue.
“Combating people smuggling requires long term commitment,” the Australian Foreign Minister said adding that two of his officials who accompanied him to Sri Lanka will remain here to further discuss the issue.
Meanwhile speaking to reporters Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, stated that during talks between Australia and Sri Lanka today both countries had also discussed the resettlement of displaced people in the north as well as steps to counter LTTE activities in Australia .
Asked why Australia has not banned the LTTE in Australia Mr. Smith said that Australia has already taken steps to deal with the LTTE under Australian law and under the UN system.
Several Sri Lankans living under a bridge in Jeddah
Daily Mirror – 10th November 2009
Sri Lankan migrant workers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia say they have been living under a bridge seeking help from the authorities to come back home.
One Sri Lankan worker who wished to be anonymous told BBC Sinhala service that nearly 3000 migrant workers, including Sri Lankans, have been living under the Sharafiya bridge in the Saudi capital for months.
"We all have been house maids or in factory workers and were forced to leave the workplace due to various harassments or as a result of not being paid by the employers. Now we are stranded here having no means to go back home," he said.
Many stranded workers neither have money nor food, unless some passers by offer something to eat, he added.
"There are some who have been living under this bridge for over one year," he said.
He accused the Sri Lankan authorities of not taking efforts to send them home.
Rejecting the accusation, the Sri Lankan authorities say the workers, who have overstayed their visa in Saudi Arabia , are using the bridge as a tactical move to leave the country without paying a penalty fee.
Kingsly Ranawaka, chairman of Foreign Employment Bureau, told BBC Sandeshaya that Sri Lanka has repatriated nearly 5000 similar workers over the last 17 months.
"When migrants come to this place the Saudi government offer them free air tickets and send them home," he said.
He added that the government will take steps to bring the workers home but warned that another group will replace the current migrants as soon as they were removed. (BBC Sinhala)
Sri Lankan migrant workers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia say they have been living under a bridge seeking help from the authorities to come back home.
One Sri Lankan worker who wished to be anonymous told BBC Sinhala service that nearly 3000 migrant workers, including Sri Lankans, have been living under the Sharafiya bridge in the Saudi capital for months.
"We all have been house maids or in factory workers and were forced to leave the workplace due to various harassments or as a result of not being paid by the employers. Now we are stranded here having no means to go back home," he said.
Many stranded workers neither have money nor food, unless some passers by offer something to eat, he added.
"There are some who have been living under this bridge for over one year," he said.
He accused the Sri Lankan authorities of not taking efforts to send them home.
Rejecting the accusation, the Sri Lankan authorities say the workers, who have overstayed their visa in Saudi Arabia , are using the bridge as a tactical move to leave the country without paying a penalty fee.
Kingsly Ranawaka, chairman of Foreign Employment Bureau, told BBC Sandeshaya that Sri Lanka has repatriated nearly 5000 similar workers over the last 17 months.
"When migrants come to this place the Saudi government offer them free air tickets and send them home," he said.
He added that the government will take steps to bring the workers home but warned that another group will replace the current migrants as soon as they were removed. (BBC Sinhala)
Saudi executions raise questions about legal help for convicted overseas Lankans
– Sunday Times 8th November 2009
By Malik Gunatilleke
The execution of two Sri Lankans in Saudi Arabia this week has once again raised concerns that Sri Lankans working overseas do not have adequate legal representation when they get into trouble and are convicted for offences.
The two Sri Lankan nationals were beheaded on Wednesday in Jeddah , Saudi Arabia , after being convicted for theft and murder in 2007. The crime is said to have taken place in November 2005. It is alleged that a group of 12 armed persons, including seven Sri Lankans, had robbed and murdered a Saudi woman. Judgement was passed in June 2007, and two Sri Lankans, K. M. S. Bandaranaike and Haleema Nissa Cader, were sentenced to death. Muhammed Naushad Barmil, an Indian national and the husband of Haleema Nissa Cader, was also sentenced to death.
Five other Sri Lankans convicted in connection with the robbery and murder were handed five-year sentences along with 500 lashes. Meanwhile, it has emerged that the defendants had no legal representation during the trial and that the court case was conducted in Arabic, with the accused understanding little or nothing of the court proceedings.
Foreign Employment Bureau deputy director P. G. Yapa told the Sunday Times that the two executed Sri Lankans were registered with the bureau and that they had been given legal assistance by way of document translations.
“We made several appeals to the Saudi authorities, but all our appeals were rejected, with no reasons given,” Mr. Yapa said. “We did all we could for the families concerned.” Mr. Yapa said the bureau had also facilitated in flying a family member to Saudi to meet the accused, as well as covering the cost of bringing back to Sri Lanka the child of one of the victims.
The Saudi authorities had made no attempt to inform the Sri Lanka government, the families of the accused, or the media about the date of the execution. Mr. Yapa said this was the usual practice in Saudi Arabia . “Once a person is sentenced, there is a period for appeal, and after that the Saudi authorities will execute the accused without informing any of the relevant authorities or family,” he said.
The deputy director of the Consular Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ministry was not obliged to make appeals on behalf of Sri Lankans convicted overseas, but had done so in this instance through the Attorney-General. He confirmed that the ministry’s appeals were rejected by the Saudi authorities, and that no further action would be taken on the matter.
“Apart from this case, there are many other Sri Lankan nationals convicted in Saudi Arabia , while hundreds have been charged for brewing illicit liquor. There’s very little we can do, especially in a case where the defendants have already made a confession,” he said.
According to Amnesty International (AI), which condemns executions, the confessions of the accused in the Saudi case were probably obtained under duress during police interrogations. AI said the accused persons had had no legal representation throughout their imprisonment and trial.
According to AI, 321 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia since 2007, 134 of them foreign nationals. At least 106 foreign nationals are awaiting the death penalty out of a total of 137 convicted persons.
By Malik Gunatilleke
The execution of two Sri Lankans in Saudi Arabia this week has once again raised concerns that Sri Lankans working overseas do not have adequate legal representation when they get into trouble and are convicted for offences.
The two Sri Lankan nationals were beheaded on Wednesday in Jeddah , Saudi Arabia , after being convicted for theft and murder in 2007. The crime is said to have taken place in November 2005. It is alleged that a group of 12 armed persons, including seven Sri Lankans, had robbed and murdered a Saudi woman. Judgement was passed in June 2007, and two Sri Lankans, K. M. S. Bandaranaike and Haleema Nissa Cader, were sentenced to death. Muhammed Naushad Barmil, an Indian national and the husband of Haleema Nissa Cader, was also sentenced to death.
Five other Sri Lankans convicted in connection with the robbery and murder were handed five-year sentences along with 500 lashes. Meanwhile, it has emerged that the defendants had no legal representation during the trial and that the court case was conducted in Arabic, with the accused understanding little or nothing of the court proceedings.
Foreign Employment Bureau deputy director P. G. Yapa told the Sunday Times that the two executed Sri Lankans were registered with the bureau and that they had been given legal assistance by way of document translations.
“We made several appeals to the Saudi authorities, but all our appeals were rejected, with no reasons given,” Mr. Yapa said. “We did all we could for the families concerned.” Mr. Yapa said the bureau had also facilitated in flying a family member to Saudi to meet the accused, as well as covering the cost of bringing back to Sri Lanka the child of one of the victims.
The Saudi authorities had made no attempt to inform the Sri Lanka government, the families of the accused, or the media about the date of the execution. Mr. Yapa said this was the usual practice in Saudi Arabia . “Once a person is sentenced, there is a period for appeal, and after that the Saudi authorities will execute the accused without informing any of the relevant authorities or family,” he said.
The deputy director of the Consular Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ministry was not obliged to make appeals on behalf of Sri Lankans convicted overseas, but had done so in this instance through the Attorney-General. He confirmed that the ministry’s appeals were rejected by the Saudi authorities, and that no further action would be taken on the matter.
“Apart from this case, there are many other Sri Lankan nationals convicted in Saudi Arabia , while hundreds have been charged for brewing illicit liquor. There’s very little we can do, especially in a case where the defendants have already made a confession,” he said.
According to Amnesty International (AI), which condemns executions, the confessions of the accused in the Saudi case were probably obtained under duress during police interrogations. AI said the accused persons had had no legal representation throughout their imprisonment and trial.
According to AI, 321 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia since 2007, 134 of them foreign nationals. At least 106 foreign nationals are awaiting the death penalty out of a total of 137 convicted persons.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Protecting migrant workers
________________________________________
– Daily News – 3rd November 2009
THROUGH MIGRANT WORKERS’ POLICY:
Lionel Wijesiri
A phenomenon of our time that deserves close study is the way the Sri Lankan overseas contract workers have been growing and what its impact will be on the future of the country. The latest estimates indicate that 1.8 million Sri Lankan men and women are working abroad, which equals 25 percent of the total work force and nearly 10 percent of the total population.
It is no exaggeration to say that the foreign exchange remittance of our overseas contract workers has helped to keep the economy afloat. Last year, foreign exchange
Hopeful migrant workers at BIA. File photo
remittances to the Sri Lanka from our migrant workers totalled over US $ 2500 million, representing a large segment of the gross national product. At the same time, an encouraging note is that in spite of the global economic crisis, the deployment of Sri Lankan workers abroad continues to rise. New markets continue to be found by Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Agency.
Public policy
Time and again the Government has reaffirmed that adequate safety nets and protection should and will be provided to Sri Lankans who choose to work overseas legally. In fact, the Cabinet recently approved a Memorandum submitted by the Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Keheliya Rambukwella to implement a National Labour Migration Policy for Sri Lanka . The overall objective of the policy is to advance opportunities for all who engage in migration for decent and productive employment in conditions of freedom and dignity. The Policy contains a detailed work plan outlining action to deal with important policy issues that have been identified.
Minimum salary
This policy declaration is, in fact, the first of its kind in the South Asian region. It also focuses on the welfare of migrant workers which include, entering in to bilateral MOU’s with destination countries for facilitating the welfare of the workers, introducing policies for minimum salary standards and introducing the host country operated compulsory insurance schemes for female migrant workers. The policy also talks of introducing a pension scheme for migrant workers.
The move has been hailed by the migrant workers as well as the related agencies as a step in the right direction. But, next comes the difficult part - implementation. Just like any public policy in Sri Lanka , it will also face many obstacles to successful implementation. I can foresee seven such major problems. Refusal to take serious strategic actions addressing these issues could translate to implementation delay and failure.
First, the administrators must change their lethargic mentality to a more pragmatic and optimistic one if the implementation is going to succeed; second, there is no room for lip service when dealing with high volatile issue that touches on so many lives.
Decision makers (both political and officials) must show strong will power to carry out reforms; third, continued Presidential leadership and guidance is required since labour migration is not just ordinary local policy - it requires attention on both national and international agenda; fourth, the Government and related agencies must ensure that front-line institutions of the executive and judicial branches have efficient mechanisms to enforce the laws and regulations; fifth, the citizenry should recognize that civil society support is vital to sustain policy implementation; sixth, the Government - through diplomatic channels - must induce the host countries to show understanding and respect for our labour force; seventh, decision-makers must realize that this is a long-term policy issue that needs lasting policy solutions. These are problems which should be tackled in a pragmatic way and solutions found before venturing forward.
Also critical to successful implementation is a strong Government capacity that allows for the representation and meaningful participation of migrant workers; political, administrative, financial transparency, accountability and the effective use of government employees. Further, since protection of migrant workers is a transnational issue that requires transnational solutions, partnerships across borders are also necessary. Destination countries should be active partners and should complement the offerings of welfare funds.
OWWA
The new Migration policy also declares providing effective protection and welfare services to migrant workers and their family members. It is in this respect, I believe, we could take a lesson from the Philippine experience.
The Philippines ’ Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is the world’s largest migrant welfare fund. It is an attached agency of the Department of Labour and Employment and the lead government agency tasked to protect and promote the welfare and well-being of Overseas Filipino Workers and their dependents.
Few recent events show how Philippine Government appreciates the contribution its migrant workers make to its economy. The OWWA declared that it is taking steps to create hospitals and hospital wings that would specifically cater to the medical needs of overseas Filipino workers and their dependents. “We always say that we are grateful to these workers, this is a way of showing them,” OWWA chief commented.
One more example is the fast-track Calamity Loan Center . It is meant to be for the families of active OWWA members when unexpected traumatic events disrupt their lives. The loan is granted with no interest, payable in 24 monthly installments with a grace period of 120 days from release.
The third example is the Education for Development Scholarship Program. It is a scholarship grant offered to qualified beneficiaries/dependents of OWWA members who intend to enroll in any four to five-year bachelor’s degree course. Another privilege is ‘The Skills for Employment Scholarship Program.’
It is a scholarship program in coordination with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, to OWWA member or their dependents/beneficiaries. A qualified applicant may avail of either a one-year technical of a six-month vocational course offered following the regular school year calendar.
A well-organized membership-driven welfare fund like OWWA can benefit migrants in a number of ways. Once its limitations are addressed, such a fund can be a useful template for us as we face the mounting challenges of protecting our workers abroad. The bottom line is if we want to realize the benefits of the migrant worker’ policy, we must overcome all limitations. We must tailor services to the immediate or core needs of overseas workers without overextending the Government’s capacity, as well as of creating meaningful partnerships with members of the civil society and the private sector.
Research
Not surprisingly, the Sri Lankan overseas work force is one of the most talked about areas by sociologists, economists and anthropologists.
Armed with their case studies and demographical statistics, they have gone into topics ranging from the costs and benefits of the exodus to the national development to the effects on the workers’ family, households and communities.
But surprisingly, only a few analysts have attempted to apply their models to explain the political and social dimensions of this human phenomenon.
There is much scope for in-depth study in this field. For example, one understudied question is how the transnational labour is slowly eroding the traditional notions of our country.
The inter-relationship of overseas workers’ human rights, gender and feminization, cultural adjustment and mental health are also interesting themes.
– Daily News – 3rd November 2009
THROUGH MIGRANT WORKERS’ POLICY:
Lionel Wijesiri
A phenomenon of our time that deserves close study is the way the Sri Lankan overseas contract workers have been growing and what its impact will be on the future of the country. The latest estimates indicate that 1.8 million Sri Lankan men and women are working abroad, which equals 25 percent of the total work force and nearly 10 percent of the total population.
It is no exaggeration to say that the foreign exchange remittance of our overseas contract workers has helped to keep the economy afloat. Last year, foreign exchange
Hopeful migrant workers at BIA. File photo
remittances to the Sri Lanka from our migrant workers totalled over US $ 2500 million, representing a large segment of the gross national product. At the same time, an encouraging note is that in spite of the global economic crisis, the deployment of Sri Lankan workers abroad continues to rise. New markets continue to be found by Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Agency.
Public policy
Time and again the Government has reaffirmed that adequate safety nets and protection should and will be provided to Sri Lankans who choose to work overseas legally. In fact, the Cabinet recently approved a Memorandum submitted by the Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Keheliya Rambukwella to implement a National Labour Migration Policy for Sri Lanka . The overall objective of the policy is to advance opportunities for all who engage in migration for decent and productive employment in conditions of freedom and dignity. The Policy contains a detailed work plan outlining action to deal with important policy issues that have been identified.
Minimum salary
This policy declaration is, in fact, the first of its kind in the South Asian region. It also focuses on the welfare of migrant workers which include, entering in to bilateral MOU’s with destination countries for facilitating the welfare of the workers, introducing policies for minimum salary standards and introducing the host country operated compulsory insurance schemes for female migrant workers. The policy also talks of introducing a pension scheme for migrant workers.
The move has been hailed by the migrant workers as well as the related agencies as a step in the right direction. But, next comes the difficult part - implementation. Just like any public policy in Sri Lanka , it will also face many obstacles to successful implementation. I can foresee seven such major problems. Refusal to take serious strategic actions addressing these issues could translate to implementation delay and failure.
First, the administrators must change their lethargic mentality to a more pragmatic and optimistic one if the implementation is going to succeed; second, there is no room for lip service when dealing with high volatile issue that touches on so many lives.
Decision makers (both political and officials) must show strong will power to carry out reforms; third, continued Presidential leadership and guidance is required since labour migration is not just ordinary local policy - it requires attention on both national and international agenda; fourth, the Government and related agencies must ensure that front-line institutions of the executive and judicial branches have efficient mechanisms to enforce the laws and regulations; fifth, the citizenry should recognize that civil society support is vital to sustain policy implementation; sixth, the Government - through diplomatic channels - must induce the host countries to show understanding and respect for our labour force; seventh, decision-makers must realize that this is a long-term policy issue that needs lasting policy solutions. These are problems which should be tackled in a pragmatic way and solutions found before venturing forward.
Also critical to successful implementation is a strong Government capacity that allows for the representation and meaningful participation of migrant workers; political, administrative, financial transparency, accountability and the effective use of government employees. Further, since protection of migrant workers is a transnational issue that requires transnational solutions, partnerships across borders are also necessary. Destination countries should be active partners and should complement the offerings of welfare funds.
OWWA
The new Migration policy also declares providing effective protection and welfare services to migrant workers and their family members. It is in this respect, I believe, we could take a lesson from the Philippine experience.
The Philippines ’ Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is the world’s largest migrant welfare fund. It is an attached agency of the Department of Labour and Employment and the lead government agency tasked to protect and promote the welfare and well-being of Overseas Filipino Workers and their dependents.
Few recent events show how Philippine Government appreciates the contribution its migrant workers make to its economy. The OWWA declared that it is taking steps to create hospitals and hospital wings that would specifically cater to the medical needs of overseas Filipino workers and their dependents. “We always say that we are grateful to these workers, this is a way of showing them,” OWWA chief commented.
One more example is the fast-track Calamity Loan Center . It is meant to be for the families of active OWWA members when unexpected traumatic events disrupt their lives. The loan is granted with no interest, payable in 24 monthly installments with a grace period of 120 days from release.
The third example is the Education for Development Scholarship Program. It is a scholarship grant offered to qualified beneficiaries/dependents of OWWA members who intend to enroll in any four to five-year bachelor’s degree course. Another privilege is ‘The Skills for Employment Scholarship Program.’
It is a scholarship program in coordination with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, to OWWA member or their dependents/beneficiaries. A qualified applicant may avail of either a one-year technical of a six-month vocational course offered following the regular school year calendar.
A well-organized membership-driven welfare fund like OWWA can benefit migrants in a number of ways. Once its limitations are addressed, such a fund can be a useful template for us as we face the mounting challenges of protecting our workers abroad. The bottom line is if we want to realize the benefits of the migrant worker’ policy, we must overcome all limitations. We must tailor services to the immediate or core needs of overseas workers without overextending the Government’s capacity, as well as of creating meaningful partnerships with members of the civil society and the private sector.
Research
Not surprisingly, the Sri Lankan overseas work force is one of the most talked about areas by sociologists, economists and anthropologists.
Armed with their case studies and demographical statistics, they have gone into topics ranging from the costs and benefits of the exodus to the national development to the effects on the workers’ family, households and communities.
But surprisingly, only a few analysts have attempted to apply their models to explain the political and social dimensions of this human phenomenon.
There is much scope for in-depth study in this field. For example, one understudied question is how the transnational labour is slowly eroding the traditional notions of our country.
The inter-relationship of overseas workers’ human rights, gender and feminization, cultural adjustment and mental health are also interesting themes.
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