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| Sunday, 22 December 2002 |
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175 Sri Lankans jailed in Lebanon to be deported by DON ASOKA WIJEWRDENA One-hundred and seventy-five Sri Lankans (150 housemaids and 25 labourers) jailed for a period of 8 to 12 months for flouting the Lebanese labour law will be deported to the country next week at government expense. As a result of fruitful discussions held by Minister of Labour and Employment Mahinda Samarasinghe with Lebanese authorities, those 175 Lankans were released and arrangements to send them back will be expedited by the Sri Lankan embassy in Lebanon. Minister Samarasinghe was in Lebanon recently on an official visit to that country enroute to Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) safeguarding the inalienable rights of over 600,000 Sri Lankan expatriates in Saudi Arabia will be signed by Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, and his Saudi counterpart, Matar Humaid Al-Tayer on December 22 in Jeddha, Saudi Arabia. Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, Chairman, Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) Susantha Fernando, Sri Lanka Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia I. Ansar and the Sri Lanka Consul General, A.G.M. Ibrahim are expected to hold constructive talks with Saudi Minister of Labour and other high ranking officials before the signing of the MoU.Before leaving Sri Lanka, Minister Samarasinghe told the 'Sunday Observer' that the government was aware of the vital role played by Sri Lankan expatriates, who had been earning a large amount of foreign exchange for the country. He said it was the duty of the government to protect the rights of Sri Lankans working abroad . "This is the first time a MoU on behalf of our expatriates will be signed between Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia", the Minister said. The MoU will guarantee: 1. Protection of employment contract signed between the employer and employee 2. Welfare facilities for the employed 3. Payment of due salaries and wages to workers by employers 4. Employing of Sri Lankans by bona-fide companies 5. Investigating and reporting about Sri Lankans who have lost their jobs 6. Obtaining of accurate information about Sri Lankans jailed for illegal activities. 7. Collecting of information on illegitimate child births and 8. Encourage employers to pay due compensation to any accident victim in accordance with the Saudi Labour Laws |
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