Expats' relatives to get telephone calls cheap

by Ananda Kannangara

The immediate relatives of Sri Lankan expatriate workers will be offered a special package to obtain telephone calls at very reasonable rates from the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) Head Quarters at Denzil Kobbekaduwa Mawatha, Battaramulla from January next year.

Accordingly, the SLBFE will shortly sign an agreement with the Sri Lanka Telecom Ltd to initiate this program,

Thereafter the Bureau will install 23 call centres at islandwide Bureau branch offices including in the Eastern Region for the benefit of relatives of Sri Lankan expatriate workers.

"The new scheme was initiated by Foreign Employment Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and according to Bureau statistics it will benefit the family members of at least 1.3 million migrant workers worldwide," SLBFE, Deputy General Manager (Foreign Relations) L.K. Ruhunage told the 'Sunday Observer'.

He further said the main objective of commencing such a program was to pass more benefits to the members of at least 850,000 migrant workers, engaged in skilled and unskilled jobs in the Middle Eastern countries.