Harin Rubbishes Namal Rajapaksa's Claim On 30 Lankan Migrant Workers Being Stranded In Kuwait: Says SLBFE Has Addressed The Issue

February 27, 2019

Foreign Employment Minister Harin Fernando said Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa's claims on 30 Sri Lankan migrant workers being stranded in Kuwait due to their inability to purchase air tickets were false.

Rajapaksa, quoting Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Kuwait, tweeted that about 30 migrant workers were stranded in the Middle Eastern country. He said SLPP Municipal Councillor and former SriLankan Airlines worker Nithya Senani Samaranayake was willing to give their information to anyone who is willing to sponsor their air tickets.

Rajapaksa, Samaranayake and several other activists of the SLPP are currently in Dubai to promote the political work of their party. 

However, Fernando responded to Rajapaksa's tweet this morning saying the Ambassador contradicted Namal Rajapaksa's claims. 

"I just got off the phone with H.E Ambassador, he mentioned that he only had a casual chat with MP Namal Rajapaksa regarding the challenges he is facing on Irregular & overstay migrant workers for repatriation. He confirmed that there is no such situation," Fernando tweeted a short while ago. 

"Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) has always addressed the issue and made necessary arrangements to bring down migrant workers. There is no authenticity in this [Rajapaksa's] tweet.even tonight 30 workers will return home," the Foreign Employment Minister further explained.