SR 56 m compensation collected for Lankan workers in Riyadh

Mohammed Rasooldeen in Riyadh

The Sri Lankan embassy collected SR 56 million as compensation for Sri Lankan workers in the Kingdom during the last three years, an outgoing diplomat told his countrymen at a reception in Riyadh recently.

Deputy chief of the Sri Lankan mission in Riyadh Sarath Kumara Weerasinghe told a farewell accorded to him on the eve of his departure from the Kingdom that he collected this large sum as compensation for the island's workers who died in the Kingdom or who were disabled due to industrial accidents.

Sri Lankan Expatriates Society president Ravika de Silva (left) presents a memento on behalf of his society to Sarath Kumara Weerasinghe, former deputy chief of Sri Lankan mission in Riyadh at a farewell function in Riyadh recently.

"We were able to achieve this target solely because of the cooperation by the Saudi officials," Weerasinghe said thanking security and medical authorities and Foreign Ministry officials.

The ceremony was arranged by the Sri Lankan Expatriates Society (SLES) in Riyadh in cooperation with a number of community groups based in the capital and in Dammam.

Over 400 community members gathered with their family members at the mission's premises to bid good bye to the diplomat, who had rendered a yeoman service to the welfare of the Sri Lankan community in the Kingdom and in Sri Lanka.

Weerasinghe, who was in charge of prisons, death and compensation during his tenure at the embassy, said during his period, he was able to clear a backlog of 600 pending cases and brought it down to 24 at the time of his departure.

He said a fair number Sri Lankans are in 11 jails that came under his purview.

He hoped they will be released in the course of time since most are convicted for petty offences.

Weerasinghe said there are around 550,000 Lankans working in the Kingdom, which is the largest concentration of island worker population in the Middle East.

"We get only two deaths per week and an average of 10 runaway housemaids," he said.

Weerasinghe said during his period, no Sri Lankan was sentenced for capital punishment. "When compared to the Lankan population in the Kingdom, the volume of complaints has been negligible," he said.

Paying tribute to the outgoing diplomat, SLES president Ravika de Silva said Weerasinghe was one of the diplomats who worked round the clock for the welfare of his countrymen.

"His mobile was never off, and he used to answer every call to help Sri Lankans in any part of the the Kingdom," he said.

Members from various religious groups also praised the services of the outgoing diplomat.

The groups also presented mementos to Weerasinghe.