Sri Lankans Padlocked!
By Ranee Mohamed
We have no food, no toilet facilities and no water,” said one of the 19 Sri Lankans imprisoned in a building in Saudi Arabia.
“We have not had a meal in a long time, except for food given to us by sympathizing Sri Lankans. We have not had a bath and we have no way of attending to our basic needs,” claimed these Sri Lankans who went on to say that they are on the verge of desperation, having to sit on the floor of a room, day and night.
Speaking to The Sunday Leader, the men identified themselves, but said that they did not want their names in the newspaper. “We have told our friends and relatives that we are going abroad for employment. Each one of us have paid between Rs.140,000 and Rs. 150,000 to an agency in Sri Lanka to come to Saudi Arabia. We were promised jobs in the Royal Palace. We were told that we will be the staff of Royalty,” lamented the men.
The Sri Lankans held captive in a building said that they arrived in Saudi Arabia on October 15 and are now held in a camp-like location. “No one can come to see us.
There are uniformed men around and we are not allowed to go out neither is anyone allowed to come in,” they lamented.
“This is a terrible place. We are told that we are being held by the Saudi Development Company and we have no access to our embassy personnel either,” they said.
“However, we have informed the Sri Lankan Mission in Saudi Arabia and they have told us that the Foreign Employment Bureau in Sri Lanka will be notified. We are waiting eagerly to get back home. Please help us to get back home. Five of us are married and we have little children. We have made several promises to them. Now all we want is to get back alive without having to languish in a jail,” said the men who hail from areas such as Ampara, Talawakelle, Batticaloa, Jaffna, and Colombo.
The location they are in, as given by the Sri Lankans is Sumai Building Exit 16, Saudi Development Company.
When The Sunday Leader tried to contact the agency which sent these Sri Lankans to Saudi Arabia, a recording on the telephone said that the number is not in use.
When The Sunday Leader telephoned the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), Kingsley Ranawake, he said that he will check on the situation; but thereafter said that he was at an interview with another newspaper.
However, Anura Muthumala, the Labour Counsellor at the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh stated that investigations are being launched into the incident. He went on to state that the SLBFE will also be notified.
This is a shocking thing to have happen to anyone.This journalist’s investigative journalism is second to none. She should be rewarded for her excellent work.Thos people who are stranded should be brought back home ASAP.
The dogs are at it again.
Oh fellow srilankans don’t expect relief from chairman SLBFE. He too a culprit. If he is given any valuable gift by officials of Sri Lankan Embassy he will cover up them and find fault on you Srilankans. He should be kicked out of foreign employment bureau if you expect a good service. There was two chairmans earlier one is Mr. Kapil Abeyrathne (Presently Rathnapura Mayor) and Mr. Hettiarachchi (Presently at the environment department) they are best to serve you and listen to your voices.
What the hell is the Ministry of Foreign Employment or Bureau of Foreign employment doing these unfortunate Sri Lankans?
Politics,corruption at every level,broken rule of law are some reasons for this sorry
state. No one is responsible for anything now a days. These poor guys went to bring the much needed foreign exchange, badly needed. Govt. workers in SL & in foreign embassies are mostly politically appointed parasites who don’t care about ordinary workers. These guys are stuck in a foreign country famous for treating outsiders very badly.If SL officials are busy with ‘other’ things, who will help these folks?
Shame on Sri Lanka, damn shame !
I am a Sri Lankan/Canadian who spends six months in Sri Lanka when its the winter season in Canada due to my stroke on my left side in Nov. 2002. I love to travel around this beautiful Paradise Island of ours. We are promoting tourism and boasting that we are a very hospitable, peace-loving nation.Honesty should be practised when we promote travel by train. The night train to Trincomalee in which my friend of 81 years, a one time famous cricketer of bygone days, travelled this week was a terrible experience.We purchased two tickets @ Rs. 750.00 for first class travel. We were escorted by a railway employee and we were shocked and thoroughly disgusted to be taken into this cabin. It is a dirty, congested place, with no water and shared dirty toilet with the next cabin. The sleeping bunk top bed, the access to it by 3″ x 3″ steps was a very dangerous method of getting up and getting down when the train is moving, when you need to go for your call of nature.How can we promote travel in this manner! Our foreign tourists are being defrauded with our false advertising first class night travel.
The other point , i wish to point out is that the train arrival and departure announcements are only in Sinhala and sometimes in English. What has happened to the Tamil announcements. Are we promoting or encouraging only the Sinhalese to travel? Is this the way we promote unity among the Sinhalese, Tamil, Burgher and Muslim and Malay races that live on this beautiful island, we call Paradise? No wonder the Tamil politicfians are clamouring for equal rights. Come on politicians of Sri Lanka wake up from your doldrums and get this beautiful island on the right path,.
a home for a peaceful and a unified race, which will prevent any further uprising the likes of which we experienced with death and destruction for nearly 29 years.
Thank you for publishing these comments in your valued paper. Oliver