The Hon. Vijitha Herath - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism

¶ 01 Hon. Leader of the Opposition, many such frauds were reported in the past. The Rainbow case occurred under the previous administration with political patronage. Those involved included persons who crossed over to the then Government; we have now taken full decisions and actions, and the matter is before court. The current law is inadequate—only the deposit is held, allowing culprits to escape. We are therefore amending the 1985 Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment Act to strengthen it.

¶ 02 We have already suspended six officers. Some staff within the Bureau assisted these rackets; they have been identified and investigations are underway. We have established a new special police investigation unit within the SLBFE.

¶ 03 Regarding Italy, though an agreement was signed earlier, job opportunities and even visas were not granted as Sri Lanka was blacklisted alongside Pakistan. That situation has now improved. We recently signed an MoU enabling Sri Lankans in Italy to obtain driving licences; it will be operational within about a month. We are also pursuing new agreements to send workers from Sri Lanka.

¶ 04 On Korea, there are 10,122 registered on the website. Under the MoU, names are removed after two years if no job is offered. Not all 10,122 hit the two-year limit now; many will only do so by March. Selection is done not by SLBFE but by Korean employers via HRD Korea and is random; sometimes newer registrants are chosen before older ones. The MoU has no provision to select by registration order. We are seeking to amend the MoU.

¶ 05 We have already requested HRD Korea to extend listing by at least one more year. Last year’s decline was also due to Korea’s political and economic instability; now a new Government and President are in place, so we expect improved opportunities this year. We will push for listing extensions and increased quotas. The Hon. Foreign Minister will visit Korea end of this month or early next month to specifically request relief.