Sri Lanka sends more workers to Israel
Acknowledges the move is a ‘source of controversy’
COLOMBO – Sri Lanka has sent a fresh batch of 79 workers to Israel, a country accused by the United Nations agency and a growing number of experts and rights organizations, of carrying out genocidal acts against the Palestinians.
The 79 workers, who had returned to Sri Lanka from a previous stint in Israel, received their tickets from the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) on Friday (27) and departed from the Bandaranaike International Airport on Saturday (28).
Their contract required them to work in Israel for a period of five years and three months.
A government statement quoting SLBFE chairman Kosala Wickremesinghe as saying the workers would be able to act as “brand ambassadors in creating new job opportunities for the job seekers who are looking to go abroad for jobs related to the agriculture industry in Israel”, which he acknowledged had been “a source of controversy”.
Wickramasinghe has urged the workers to act responsibly so that “the dignity of the motherland is protected”.
The SLBFE has also introduced a new portal on the Bureau’s website, www.slbfe.lk, for workers who have applied for jobs in Israel to check the status of their applications.
Israel is facing a labour shortage, particularly in the construction and agriculture sectors, due to its war on the occupied Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.
-ENCL/EN
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