20 October 2014, The Sunday Leader
General Secretary of Ravana Balaya, Ven. Saddhatissa Thera accused the management of Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) of failing to ensure the safety of migrant workers in Middle East countries.
Following last Thursday’s incident at the SLBFE where the Buddhist monks led by Saddhatissa Thera had a heated argument with the Bureau Chairman Amal Senadhilankara over the issues faced by the migrant workers in the Middle East countries, Saddhatissa Thera said that Senadhilankara was over agitated as he (Saddhatissa Thera) had to reveal the truth of the fate of our migrant workers in the Middle East countries.
“All our attempts to meet Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Minister Dilan Perera to discuss these issues failed and that was why we informed SLBFE Chairman’s office that we want to meet him.
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He further accused the SLBFE for not taking any action against the unscrupulous job agencies that have sent our migrant workers to vulnerable employers and challenge the bureau to name one job agency they have blacklisted.
“There were many cases where our migrant workers had to return to the country either empty handed or subjected to mental and physical anguish. Even there are instances where our workers have been tortured and murdered.
What action has the SLBFE taken against the job agencies that have sent these workers abroad? To our knowledge none of the job agencies have been blacklisted. There is a scam going on at the SLBFE,” he claimed. All attempts to contact SLBFE Chairmen Amal Senadhilankara for a comment failed as he was continuously at meetings.