Sitting of Friday, 8 May 2026
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 23554 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
Order of business
Speeches load per item. Summaries shown here are AI-generated and labelled; verbatim text is on each speech page.
- 1 Opening Opening: Ceremonial Reception of H.E. To Lam, President of Socialist Republic of Viet Nam 7 speeches
- 2 Procedural Procedural: Announcements and Tabling of Reports (Constitutional Council, Committee on Public Finance) 6 speeches
- 3 Procedural Procedural: Motion to Exempt Business Nos. 1-7 from S.141 1 speeches
- 4 Debate Debate: Private Members' Motion P.17/2024 - School and Higher Education Frameworks for Sportspersons 10 speeches
- 5 Debate Debate: Private Members' Motion P.18/2024 - Formulating a Programme to Make School Students Aware of University of Vocational Technology 20 speeches
- 6 Debate Debate: Private Members' Motion P.43/2025 - Preventing Misuse of Positions of Professors and Doctors 24 speeches
- 7 Debate Debate: Private Members' Motion P.33/2025 - Setting up of a Unit with Legal Powers to Solve Problems Faced by Migrant Employees 19 speeches
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF
AI summary Moved a resolution to establish a legally empowered unit to investigate serious abuses and fraud affecting Sri Lankan migrant workers, facilitate their safe return, and ensure their protection. He argued that migrant workers are vital to the economy, remitting around USD 8.4 billion annually, but are inadequately protected despite the sacrifices made by them and their families. He questioned the effectiveness of the current institutional framework involving the Foreign Employment Bureau, embassies, labour authorities, police and immigration, and called for better coordination and accountability.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF
AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake urged the Government to implement a USD 350 monthly minimum wage for outbound workers, recalling that he introduced it as Finance Minister in 2016 and noting partial progress after inquiries with the relevant Ministry. He highlighted abuses faced by migrant workers, including trafficking, passport confiscation, wage nonpayment, sexual abuse, forced labour, fraud, illegal detention, and coercion into cybercrime, and called for preventive action and stronger enforcement. He proposed a dedicated, accountable, technology-enabled unit with sections for emergency protection, international coordination, missing persons and death inquiries, recruitment fraud monitoring, women and child protection, workers’ protection, and economic protection. He framed migrant worker protection as both a human rights obligation and an economic strategy, citing remittances of USD 8.4 billion and the potential to increase them to USD 10 billion.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam ITAK
AI summary Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam seconded Hon. Ravi Karunanayake’s motion, commending its focus on issues affecting Sri Lankan migrant workers. He said many people from the North and plantation regions migrate under severe economic hardship, sometimes losing welfare support at home, and supported the proposal to give legal powers to a dedicated unit to address their problems. He urged the Government to control bogus foreign employment agencies and address the risks faced by those travelling on tourist visas to countries such as Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam ITAK
AI summary Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam urged the Government and all parties to ensure the safety and welfare of Sri Lankan migrant workers in countries such as Qatar and the UAE, noting that many cannot afford to return because they mortgaged assets to migrate. He argued that their remittances have contributed significantly to Sri Lanka’s recovery and reserves, and described recent efforts to coordinate with embassies, airport quarantine officials, and hospitals to repatriate the bodies of young workers who had died by suicide.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam ITAK
AI summary Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam raised a practical issue faced when repatriating bodies from Qatar, noting that Colombo airport requires a Non-infectious Certificate that Qatar does not issue. He said entry then depends on special approval from the Quarantine Office, but a recent case was delayed for several hours because the on-duty doctor did not respond or identify a process. He requested the Deputy Minister to address the procedural gap and improve handling of such cases.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Nanda Bandara JJB
AI summary Welcoming the motion on foreign employment, Hon. Nanda Bandara highlighted problems caused by illegal recruiters and the vulnerability of workers whose jobs or wages change abroad or who flee abusive workplaces. He said the Government should prioritize sending trained workers through state-supervised channels, with proper language and professional qualifications, and proposed establishing a dedicated institution to collect and manage information on migrant workers. He also called for stronger state intervention to protect workers of all communities and to increase remittances by reducing unskilled migration.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. (Dr.) M.L.A.M. Hizbullah SLMC
AI summary Hon. (Dr.) M.L.A.M. Hizbullah supported the Private Member’s Motion on protecting Sri Lankan migrant workers, noting their importance to the economy and the prevalence of fraud, non-payment, job substitution, and exploitation, particularly in Middle Eastern employment. He alleged that some employment agents and overseas collaborators misuse housemaid placements for exploitative purposes, damaging Sri Lanka’s reputation and employment prospects. He urged the Government to strengthen legal safeguards, ensure proper job recognition and salary payments, conduct inquiries into abuses, and increase embassy staffing in countries with large Sri Lankan worker populations.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Rajeevan Jeyachandramoorthy JJB
AI summary Hon. Rajeevan Jeyachandramoorthy supported the motion to establish a legally empowered unit to address problems faced by migrant workers, highlighting their major contribution to remittances and the economy. He called for stronger laws and enforcement against exploitative foreign employment agents, trafficking networks, and illegal agencies, noting increased complaints in 2024 and reports of abuse in Oman and the UAE. He proposed linking a special investigative unit with the CID or Police to handle cases involving torture, sexual violence, fraud, and insurance-related exploitation, and urged bilateral legal agreements to better protect Sri Lankan workers abroad.
- The Hon. Arun Hemachandra - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment JJB
AI summary The Deputy Minister said the Government accepts the essence of Hon. Ravi Karunanayake’s motion and is working to strengthen existing foreign employment mechanisms while correcting institutional gaps. He stated that a new Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Act is being prepared with the Legal Draftsman, and that the combined Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment portfolios have enabled stronger consular support for registered and unregistered migrant workers. He outlined measures including a special police unit at the SLBFE, a complaint call centre with serial numbering, proposed agency regulation, and cooperation with the ILO on a mobile app and the IOM on biometrics.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF
AI summary Ravi Karunanayake thanked Members for supporting and contributing to his proposals on foreign employment and urged the Deputy Minister to implement them without waiting for a new Bill, suggesting that regulations or administrative action under the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment could provide quicker relief. He said stronger protection and support for domestic workers abroad should function as a risk-management or insurance mechanism that could also encourage remittances. He also called for adding value to Sri Lankan labour by training and sending local professionals, including doctors, rather than importing them, linking this to a knowledge-based economy and higher foreign earnings.
- 8 Debate Debate: Private Members' Motion P.50/2025 - Formulating a Methodology to Prevent Damage Caused by Pine Plantations to Water Sources 8 speeches
- 9 Debate Debate: Private Members' Motion P.60/2025 - Preventing Suicide Among Young Children 9 speeches
- 10 Adjournment Adjournment: Parliament Adjourns 1 speeches