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| Sunday, 2 February 2003 |
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'1991 Gulf War' compensation for 1,760 more Sri Lankans by Don Asoka Wijewardena The balance 1,760 Sri Lankan migrant workers who were severely affected during the 1991 Gulf War in Kuwait will each receive Rs 3 lakhs (US dollars 40,000) as compensation shortly. This is in addition to the compensation of 650 million US dollars paid to the other 98,000 Sri Lankans by the United Nations Compensation Committee (UNCC) in Geneva over a period of six years. Minister of Employment and Labour, Mahinda Samarasinghe, told the 'Sunday Observer' that it was indeed an achievement to obtain funds from the UNCC by way of compensation for migrant workers affected during the 1991 Gulf War in Kuwait. Minister Samarasinghe said that following his appointment as President of the United Nations Human Rights Commission Inter-Parliamentary Union representing 154 nations, he urged the UNCC in Geneva to grant compensation to 1,760 bona-fide Sri Lankans who had been denied that payment due to various problems. The Minister said that he was able to convince the UNCC officials after a series of fruitful negotiations with the UNCC Director General and obtain the necessary funds, despite previous negotiations over the issue resulting in a stalemate. According to Labour ministry media director, Lal Kumar, about 6,000 applications for compensation were submitted to the UNCC, but only 1,760 authentic applications had been approved for payment. He said that 4,240 applications had been rejected owing to the undue delay in submitting them with wrong information. The Minister advised the compensation recipients to wisely use the money they would receive and said that a welfare scheme had been launched to train them on self-employment projects, to conduct awareness programmes on income-generating jobs, opening of savings bank accounts and obtaining housing loans as well as business loans. Compensation for the 1,760 Sri Lankans will be paid on March 3 at a special ceremony at the BMICH, at which Minister Samarasinghe will be the chief guest. |
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