The Hon. Arun Hemachandra - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I expected a constructive debate, but the Opposition has mostly wasted time without building arguments.

¶ 02 Let me begin: those who squandered the nation’s wealth yesterday preach wisdom today. Credibility is earned through accountability, not words. The Opposition forgets their long years in power when they now posture here.

¶ 03 Our Ministry covers wide domains. Despite doubts and slander against our foreign relations, we are satisfied with our progress under the leadership of the Minister, overcoming challenges and contributing to the country’s forward journey.

¶ 04 We have prioritized making our foreign missions efficient. The largest budget share here supports mission maintenance and new posts. Public distrust grew due to past ambassadorial misconduct. For example, former Ambassador to the US, Jaliya Wickramasuriya, a relative of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was arrested in 2016 over a USD 322,000 commission and pleaded guilty in April 2022 to diverting funds meant for an embassy site. Similarly, in December 2024, the US sanctioned former Ambassador to Russia, Udayanga Weeratunga, over alleged corrupt MiG procurement. Such cases built distrust.

¶ 05 Now we are restoring confidence by appointing merit-based, country-first envoys—not friends and relatives. Digitization has delivered concrete results: via the eBMD Online Portal, our consular divisions and missions can issue birth, marriage and death certificates. Instead of citizens having to visit DS offices or the Registrar General in Sri Lanka, they receive fast, convenient service abroad. This also brings foreign exchange: we have earned USD 15,796 so far through this service.

¶ 06 On passports, there was a backlog of about 26,000 recently. Now, pending new applications for printing are around 7,000; older pending are about 2,000, and we expect to clear them this week. Thanks to all officials who made this turnaround possible.

¶ 07 On foreign policy capacity, claims that we are not studying global shifts are false. Through the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute we started structured discussions, including on tariff policy. Our first round-table, “Sri Lanka’s Preparedness to Meet the Emerging Global Economic Challenges,” included BOI, EDB, the Ceylon Chamber, and business leaders. We will expand and produce reports to shape policy. We cannot dictate to other nations, but we can tailor our policies to global realities. We are committed to safeguarding our people through preparedness.

¶ 08 Foreign employment faced many issues: corruption in E-8 visa processes, EV permits, the “Jaya Gamu Sri Lanka” programme, recruitment malpractices. We inherited a broken system, but we are fixing it. We are reviving the lost E-8 category through a transparent, government-led process with proper approvals. We have information that some former political operatives are trying to interfere and collect money—do not engage with them. The sole authorized agency is the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Agency; coordinate only through it for E-8 visas.

¶ 09 Due to others’ malpractices—including certain departments and possibly some missions—we lost critical privileges. We are now at an advanced stage to restore recognition for Italian driving licence conversions and expect swift resumption. Additionally, Italy’s work visas for Sri Lankans—previously paused—are being resumed, with processes already underway. These are significant wins.

¶ 10 Past programmes like the International Worker Migration Programme supported by Switzerland were underutilized by prior governments. We have accelerated such collaborations since taking office.

¶ 11 To the people: our changes are visible in delivery. More positive news will follow. I thank our Ministry staff, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute and the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Agency for their contributions.