JVP: What happened to proposal to use SLBFE deposits totalling Rs. 14 bn to repatriate workers?

By Saman Indrajith

Thousands of Lankan migrant workers were stranded in West Asian countries amidst the COVID-19 pandemic after losing their jobs while the government continues to make statements promising to bring them all home, says the JVP-led Progressive Women’s Collective (PWC).

Addressing the media at the JVP headquarters in Pelawatte yesterday MP Dr Harini Amarasuriya said the situation of the stranded migrant workers was deteriorating day by day while the government kept postponing bringing them home.

She said that some workers who had lost their jobs were staying at places provided to them by their employers while others received help from fellow Sri Lankan workers. “But with the gradual increase in the number of coronavirus infections, more people faced difficulties. Nobody has an exact figure of the Lankan workers killed by the pandemic abroad so far. Their situation is worsening. The government should not forget the fact that they were the ones who contributed to the national economy to run this country.

“We have raised this issue many times. We also staged a demonstration opposite the Foreign Employment Bureau. There has been no response from the government. The family members of the stranded worker have no way of contacting them. There are no officials in embassies and high commissions to answer queries about the workers. Our party leader raised this issue in Parliament several times and the government kept on saying it was planning to bring them back. The government so far has helped only those who could spend around 400,000 to 500,000 out of their pockets to fund their passage home.”

PWC member and JVP member of the Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council Samanmalee Gunasinghe said the government kept telling lies to the people about the issue of bringing the migrant workers home. “There were reports that the Prime Minister and ministers had discussed the use of Rs 14 billion in bank deposits of the Foreign Employment Bureau to bring the stranded Lankans home. Yet, no action has been taken so far. In the meantime, corpses of workers form West Asian countries are delivered to Chilaw, Rajanganaya, Anuradhapura and Hambantota. The Labour Minister pledged in Parliament that the Lankan workers would be brought home free of charge. He said that any migrant worker unable to obtain air tickets to Sri Lanka should immediately report to the Sri Lankan Embassy in that country or call the toll free number 800119119, but anyone who dial that number can understand that there is no response. Why do they cheat people in this manner?” she queried.

PWC Member Saroja Savithri Paul Raj said those who wanted to return also had to pay for PCR testing. “Many of those stranded workers do not have money.”