- Inform JVP-NPP’s Ethera Api of unwillingness to return to SL
A group of Sri Lankan migrant workers living in conflict areas in Israel are presently under the protection of the Israeli security forces, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP)-affiliated organisation representing migrant workers, “Ethera Api”, has informed.
The President of the organisation, former JVP Parliamentarian Sunil Handunnetti yesterday (16) told The Daily Morning that they were informed by the workers that they are under the custody of the Israeli forces and that they are not willing to return to Sri Lanka at this moment. He also said that, as he was informed by them, the Sri Lankan Embassy has not looked into their issues properly when the diplomatic corps of many countries, such as the Philippines, have supported their workers in Israel.
However, the main Parliamentary Opposition party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) urged the Government to facilitate Sri Lankan migrant workers in Israel to return to Sri Lanka since the Israeli-Hamas conflict is escalating. Speaking to the media, SJB Opposition MP Tissa Attanayake claimed that the Sri Lankan Government has done nothing so far to bring Sri Lankan workers in Israel back to the country whereas most of the other countries have already withdrawn its citizens from Israel due to the conflict. He said that the Israeli-Hamas conflict would cause an adverse impact on the country’s economy since Sri Lanka is to lose millions of remittance monies if the war continues, adding that it will bring results similar to those brought on by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) claimed that Sri Lankan migrant workers working in Northern Israel are safe at the moment although there is a risk of impending attacks. The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Israel had previously urged Sri Lankans in the northern parts of Israel to be on alert and to follow emergency instructions properly, as concerns are rife about impending attacks. The embassy said that the cities of Nahariya, Acre, Haifa, Tiberias, and Nazareth, located close to the borders of Lebanon and Syria, are now under the threat of attacks.
In this situation, SLBFE Spokesperson Senarath Yapa told The Daily Morning on 15 October that security alerts are issued by Israeli security forces since there is a threat of impending attacks, but that otherwise, no Sri Lankan in the northern parts of the country has been harmed by the attacks. He also said that all migrant workers have been advised to stay cautious without panicking. He noted that the SLBFE closely monitors the situation of those aforementioned areas and keeps in contact with migrant workers with the help of Sri Lankan diplomatic corps in Israel while all the necessary measures have been taken to secure the lives of the workers in case of need.
He further said that the Sri Lankan Embassy informed them that there is no need to be nervous about the situation in Northern Israel since Israeli security forces have already deployed security personnel in those areas. However, it was reported that Sri Lankans in the aforementioned northern cities have been advised to keep daily necessities, including medicines and food, in stock.
Several attempts made to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this regard proved futile.