Dialog, Ministry of Foreign Employment to Connect Lankan Expatriate
Workers
The Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Employment and Welfare has
partnered with Sri Lanka’s leading Mobile solutions provider Dialog
Axiata to provide an exclusive connectivity solution for expatriate
workers leaving the shores of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)
and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The solution is delivered via a
special SIM card which will be issued by the Foreign Employment Bureau
via its counters at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and
other branches of the Foreign Employment Bureau. The Expatriate Worker
SIM card will provide the user with concessionary tariffs for calls to
Sri Lanka and communication within the middle-east region.
![](z_pxvi-Dialog.jpg)
Nissanka N. Wijeratne, Secretary, Ministry of Foreign
Employment exchanging the agreement with Dr. Hans
Wijayasuriya, Group Chief Executive of Dialog Axiata.
Foreign Employment Minister Dilan Perera and Supun
Weerasinghe, GCOO of Dialog Axiata are in the background. |
“Migrant workers face tremendous hardships during the first weeks in
the new country adjusting to their surroundings. Providing a phone
connection that helps them keep in touch with their family in Sri Lanka
will help with the transition,” Dilan Perera, Minister of Foreign
Employment Promotion and Welfare said. “Approximately 10 to 15 percent
of the Sri Lankan population employed overseas annually remit over 4
billion dollars to the economy. I sincerely hope a similar mobile
solution will be offered to other countries in the Gulf region in the
near future as well,” the Minister added.
The pre-paid SIM connection has been customized for those living and
working in the KSA and UAE. The SIM's will have a local Saudi Arabian
and UAE number and will have the best rates to call Sri Lanka and for
calling within each country. Dialog will also provide a free initial
reload of 5 Saudi Arabian Riyal’s for SIM’s issued to KSA, while a free
10 UAE Dinar reload for UAE SIM's will be given for migrant workers to
call back to Sri Lanka as soon as they land in KSA or UAE. In addition,
any calls made to the Sri Lanka Embassy hotline will be free of charge.
“We are honoured to have been selected by the Ministry of Foreign
Employment and Welfare as the connectivity provider for Sri Lanka’s
expatriate community in the KSA and UAE, and to be of service to fellow
Sri Lankans living far from home, who contribute very significantly to
our country’s economy. In line with the vision of the Minister and the
Ministry of Foreign Employment and Welfare, we will soon be expanding
this special service to other areas in the Gulf region,” said Dr. Hans
Wijayasuriya, Group Chief Executive of Dialog Axiata PLC.
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