More than 5000 Lankans stranded in Dubai after going there on tourist visas

By Shiran Ranasinghe

More than 5,000 Sri Lankans have gone to Dubai on tourist visas, the Foreign Employment Bureau said. Some women in that group have been forced into prostitution and the Bureau has started a separate investigation thereinto.

Chairman of the Bureau, Mahendra Kumarasinghe, said they had stopped Sri Lankans travelling to West Asia on Visit Visas. Sri Lankans could no longer travel to Dubai or Oman using a Self-Visa as well, he said.

Kumarasinghe said the Third Secretary to the Sri Lankan Embassy, in Oman, had been suspended over allegations that he was involved in human trafficking. He has also been asked to return to Sri Lanka at his own expense..

The Third Secretary is a Foreign Employment Bureau official seconded to the diplomatic service. Kumarasinghe said out of the 45 women in ‘Suraksha’ home in Oman, only 14 had been registered with the Bureau. Unless there were court cases against the stranded Sri Lankans, those who have registered with the Bureau could return to Sri Lanka soon, he said.

“We are doing our best to ensure the safe return of those who had not registered with us, too. During the last 18 months, an organised gang has used the tourist visa facility for human trafficking. They lure Sri Lankan woman, promising foreign jobs, and once they get here, sell them for prostitution. I urge everyone who have been victims to come forth. This will help our investigations,” he said.

Sri Lanka is also to send a team to Oman and Dubai to conduct further investigations. The CID is probing immigration officers, Foreign Employment Bureau officials and employment agencies who are involved in human smuggling.

The main suspect of the human smuggling racket, named Irfaz, was arrested on Saturday (19) at the Bandaranaike International Airport. He has been remanded until November 24, after being produced before the Negombo Magistrate’s Court. His right hand man, Balakrishnan Kuganeswaran was arrested by the CID on Sunday (20). He has been ordered to be remanded until 01 December after being produced before the Fort Magistrate’s Court. On Monday (21), the CID took into custody a woman wanted in connection with the human trafficking ring involved in the alleged sex slavery racket of Sri Lankan women in Oman.

Police said the 49-year-old woman had been arrested after her surrender to the CID through her lawyers, on Monday.