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| Sunday, 30 March 2003 |
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Labour ministers of Asia-Pacific countries meet here : 'Impact of Iraq war on migrant workers' by DON ASOKA WIJEWARDENA A seminar on the current situation of the US-Iraq War and its effects on Asia-Pacific countries and capacity building with international labour exporting countries, will be held at the BMICH from April 1-2, with the participation of 10 Labour Ministers of 10 Asia-Pacific countries. Labour Ministers from Bangladesh, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka will address the seminar with participation of the International Organisation of Migration (IOM). Minister of Employment and Labour, Mahinda Samarasinghe, at a media briefing said that the seminar would enlighten relatives of migrant workers representing different countries in the Asia-Pacific region, the contingency plans of respective governments and safety measures implemented by them. When asked whether any Sri Lankans were affected in the Gulf, Minister Samarasinghe said that so far none had been affected and assured that all Sri Lankan ambassadors, consul generals and welfare officers had been in touch with the ICRC, UNDP and UNHCR for possible evacuation if the situation worsened. According to Minister Samarainghe, the seminar will focus on the problems facing 'labour-sending' and 'labour-receiving' countries and creation of new job markets for migrant workers. He said that migration activities, especially in the Middle-East countries, were causing considerable problems. Illegal migration had been on the rise despite strict surveillance systems; he added. Mr. Samarasinghe stressed the importance of exchanging ideas with labour ministers in 10 Asia-Pacific countries for the improvement of Sri Lanka's labour exports and taking a cue from professional labour exporting countries like Philippines to eliminate shortcomings affecting Sri Lanka. |
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