Sri Lankans hit by lack of embassy in Bahrain

Geoffrey Bew

MANAMA: The lack of a Sri Lankan diplomatic mission in Bahrain could be affecting the numbers taking part in the Government’s general amnesty for expatriate workers, rights activists have warned.

Migrant Workers Protection Society (MWPS) action committee head Marietta Dias says there were not enough people to cope with the number of cases involving women from Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan Embassy in Kuwait looks after the affairs of its citizens in Bahrain, although some visa and consular services are offered through Honorary Consul-General P.B. Higgoda, at the Sri Lanka Club.

More than 12,000 Sri Lankans are estimated to live in Bahrain, although the actual figure could be much higher and Dias says the workload is too much for one person, who is already in full-time work.

She said a permanent office was the only way to adequately deal with the number of amnesty applicants and other cases, as the society’s volunteers are struggling to deal with the number of people seeking assistance.

The MWPS has just two Sri Lankan women on its books, but more than 40 have passed through its shelter for domestic workers since it opened in 2005.

“Little action is being taken for Sri Lankan people to facilitate their exit from the island or investigate their problems,” said Dias.

“The Honorary Consul is working full-time so where is the time to see people during the day or go to the General Directorate of Nationality Passports and Residency? There are not many Sri Lankan social workers who want to come forward and do these kind of things and the language problem is a big issue in this kind of work.

The MWPS has a big problem with Sri Lankans as we can only help up to a point, we cannot go to their sponsors or authorise their paperwork.”

In February, a renewed call went out to open a Sri Lankan diplomatic mission in Bahrain from MWPS officials. The Bahraini and Sri Lankan Governments have been discussing the possibility of setting up an embassy or consul since August last year and the idea was first proposed three years ago.

Higgoda was yesterday unavailable for comment.