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Sri Lankan women auctioned in Oman

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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.

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Weather Alert: Showers to ease in Southwest, strong winds forecast in North

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Prevailing showery condition in the southwestern part of the island is expected to reduced gradually from today (01st)

Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North-western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts.

Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts during the afternoon or night.

Fairly strong winds of about (30-40) kmph can be expected at times over Western slopes of the central hills and in Northern, North-central and North-western provinces and in Hambantota and Trincomalee districts.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

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Aluthgamage and Fernando assigned printing work in prison

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Former Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage and former Sathosa Chairman Nalin Fernando, sentenced this week to jail for 20 and 25 years, respectively, have been assigned duties in the printing section at the Welikada prison, sources said.

Both of them are being held together away from the main section of the prison’s ‘chapel’ section, where prisoners serving life sentences and those convicted of murder and rape are held. The prison’s printing section prints its own documentation.

Prison sources said that in placing them in relevant wards to serve their jail term, the authorities had taken into consideration the security of the two convicts, as they might have had political enemies.

Mr Aluthgamage was handed a 20-year term of rigorous imprisonment, while Mr Fernando was given a 25-year term of rigorous imprisonment by a High Court trial-at-bar after being found guilty of causing a Rs 53 million loss to the state.

They were accused of importing carrom boards and checkers boards through Sathosa during the 2015 presidential elections and distributing them to clubs.

Their lawyers said yesterday they were awaiting the certified copy of the judgement to prepare the appeal papers. The appeal will be considered by the Supreme Court.

(sundaytimes.lk)
(This story, originally published by sundaytimes.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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COVID subvariants spreading in Asia detected in Sri Lanka

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The Medical Research Institute of Sri Lanka has confirmed that the COVID-19 variant currently spreading in the Asian region has also been identified in the country.

Dr. Jude Jayamaha, a specialist in viral diseases at the Medical Research Institute, stated that patients infected with the Omicron subvariants LF.7 and XFG are being reported locally.

Dr. Jayamaha explained that this finding was confirmed through research conducted on biological samples collected from several hospitals across the island.

However, he emphasized that there is no need for undue fear regarding these COVID-19 variants.

Health authorities have also stressed the importance of vulnerable groups—such as pregnant mothers, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses—following health guidelines, including wearing face masks and avoiding crowded places.

Dr. Jayamaha reiterated that new COVID-19 variants emerge periodically, and health authorities are continuously monitoring the situation, so the public should remain calm.

(newswire.lk)

(This story, originally published by newswire.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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