Jobs in Korea: Battaramulla bogus agency busted

Rasika Somarathna

COLOMBO:A foreign employment agency which managed a lucrative business duping unsuspecting job seekers with the promise of job opportunities in Korea was busted by Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) sleuths yesterday.

The raid was carried out on the instructions of SLBFE Chairman Kingsley Ranawaka.

According to Ranawaka, the SLBFE has a monopoly on employment opportunities in Korea and private manpower agents have no authority to send migrant workers to that country. The recruitment agency in Battaramulla had been raided by SLBFE sleuths and had taken into custody two suspects along with Rs. 4 million and 35 passports.

They also found receipts for payments made by job seekers to the value of millions of rupees.

Ranawaka told the Daily News yesterday that he had taken steps to suspend the licence issued to the foreign employment agency in addition to seeking intervention of the law regarding further penalties.

According to the Chairman, the SLBFE on the instructions of Foreign Employment and Welfare Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has ordered an immediate crackdown on bogus job agents and organised gangs who swindle money at the expense of foreign employment seekers, with several such incidents coming to light recently.

An organised gang which ran a lucrative business duping foreign employment seekers and collecting millions of rupees, using the names of Government politicians was busted by SLBFE sleuths several months back.

According to sources this gang had even used Minister Rambukwella’s name to woo unsuspecting foreign job seekers.

Sri Lanka’s export income is heavily dependent on remittances made by migrant workers which constitute 35 per cent of the total foreign exchange earnings. Thus over the years, culprits have made use of the loopholes in the system to dupe people on the look out for greener pastures abroad.

According to Ranawaka, Minister Rambukwella has ordered several measures to stop the abuse of rogue agents including amending the SLBFE Act and has also called for an effective mechanism to protect migrant worker rights and enhance welfare activities for both workers and their families.

The latest raid was conducted by Acting Manager Investigations Chief Inspector Prasanna Nagahawatte, Chief Inspector, P. Raj Kumar, Enforcement Officers, W. Ekanayake and P. Ananda and assistant Rasika Sirisena.