News

Sri Lankan women auctioned in Oman

Published

2 years ago

November 9, 2022

editor

Young Sri Lankan women who were sent to Oman on the promise of employment have been queued up to be selected by the employers in the offices of the recruitment agents, it was reported.

Some women have been sold for prostitution for millions of rupees. The price is determined according to the age and appearance of the woman.

The investigating teams have revealed that the agencies had paid only a little to the women, even though they were bought by employers for millions of rupees. This has been revealed during an investigation conducted by the officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and State Intelligence Service sent to Oman on the orders of President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

One form of smuggling is taking the women as tourists to Dubai, UAE and then taking them to Oman by bus across the border at Al Buraimi. Another plan is to take them to India on tourist visas and then to Oman.

It has also been revealed that most of them were sexually assaulted while being taken to the employment agency office by the traffickers.

The agents take the passport and the mobile phone of the victims. They take a video of the women in order to send them to the employers and bring them to the auction.

It has also been revealed that even the taxi drivers sexually assault these women while they are being taken to the employer.

The women who are bought by the employers are considered as their assets. Besides giving them an unlimited amount of work, they are also employed in their relative’s houses and subjected to sexual abuse.

The women who escape from those houses due to abuse and violence by their employers are unable to report to the Sri Lankan Embassy since they have not been registered under the domestic service of the Foreign Employment Bureau.

It has also been revealed that even though these women went to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Oman, the embassy cannot intervene according to the Omani laws since they have been bought by their employers for many years.

The women who are not able to return to Sri Lanka after obtaining some relief from the embassy, are employed by the agents as prostitutes and sold to foreigners including Bangladeshis.

It has been revealed that a woman who became a victim of this human trafficking was also among the 45 women in the Safe House located near the Sri Lanka Embassy in Oman.

News

Resumption of Nagapattinam-Kankesanthurai ‍ferry service delayed indefinitely

Published

2 hours ago

May 17, 2024

nipuni

The resumption of the passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam in India and the Kankesanthurai region near Jaffna in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka has been delayed again for an indefinite period, Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva has said.

The passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai (KKS) suburb of Jaffna district, which was to resume on May 13, was delayed due to a “technical shortcoming”, de Silva said on Wednesday.

The nature of the “technical shortcoming” was not revealed by the minister.

The service, launched in October last year after nearly 40 years, was halted a few days later owing to rough weather.

Since then, the resumption of the service, which is a vital component of India-Sri Lanka maritime cooperation, has been delayed three times.

India has also extended a grant assistance of USD 63.65 million — the entire project cost — to Sri Lanka to rehabilitate the Kankesanthurai Port in the Northern Province.

Situated in the northern region of Sri Lanka, the Kankesanthurai Port or the KKS Port, with an area of approximately 16 acres, is located at a distance of 104 kilometres (56 nautical miles) from Karaikal Port in Pondicherry.

The direct passenger ship service connecting Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu to Kankesanthurai port near Jaffna covers a distance of 111 kilometres (60 nautical miles) in approximately three and a half hours.

The ferry service will be operated by a private operator, IndSri Ferry Services, selected by the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) in consultation with the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL).

Source: PTI

News

State Minister admits to assaulting airport porter

Published

3 hours ago

May 17, 2024

nipuni

State Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises Development – Prasanna Ranaweera has admitted to assaulting a porter at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake, ‘Lankadeepa’ reports.

The State Minister had gone to the airport with his security personnel to see off his wife, who had gone overseas.

According to reports, the State Minister had also reprimanded security personnel who had opposed to the state minister’s security entering the airport premises with firearms.

Footage then showed him also assaulting the porter who had transported the bags of the State Minister’s wife. It is reported that the State Minister had given the porter only Rs. 700 when public notices at the premises clearly state a porter is to be paid Rs. 1000.

The victim had gone to the police to lodge a complaint in this regard but had been told to come on the next day as the OIC was not present.

However it is said that he had not returned to the police station.

(Source : Lankadeepa)

News

Kandy inundated after heavy rains

Published

3 hours ago

May 17, 2024

nipuni

Several locations in Kandy city including the Kandy railway station have been inundated with water due to heavy rains.
Kandy faced over 100mm of rain after 2.00pm today, with low lying areas of the city being swiftly inundated.

Irresponsible garbage disposal and illegal constructions are said to be major contributing factors.