Ending rackets

The roots of people-smuggling run deep and grow in unexpected directions, it would seem. The emergence of a scam involving Sri Lankans being smuggled into NATO bases in Afghanistan and Iraq have raised concerns over how vulnerable citizens are being preyed upon by unscrupulous people.

It was reported over the weekend that authorities have launched an investigation into an alleged multi-million rupee scam involving the smuggling of Sri Lankan workers to US bases in Iraq and NATO bases in Afghanistan.

Foreign Employment Secretary Nissanka Wijeyratne had told media that they were probing the activities of an individual who is alleged to have amassed millions through his clandestine operations carried out through a third country. The Ministry is apparently in possession of documentary evidence related to this issue and the matter is under investigation at the highest level by a cross section of the authorities.

According to Wijeyratne, copies of the documents that include cleverly-doctored entry visas into the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have already been forwarded to the authorities at the Defence, External Affairs Ministry (EAM) and the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLFEB).

According to available information, the workers were first taken to the UAE and later transferred to NATO bases in Afghanistan and Iraq by charter flights that leave Terminal 2 at Dubai International Airport. Even though the racket came to light only last month there are indications that it has been around for over eight years, using the Bandaranaike International Airport as a base.   Officials at the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau’s Legal Division had stated they were also examining the documents, mainly the forged visas and that the matter would be shortly handed over to the Police for further investigations.

Although there is no current ban for Sri Lankans to travel to both these countries, approval for work at NATO bases is yet to be sanctioned. It is not clear how workers are getting there, especially since employment in these two countries are subject to several conditions that include a NATO clearance and a safety insurance cover of US$ 15,000 or Rs. 1.9 million per worker, among other requirements.

Even though the security concerns can be left up to the discernment of NATO, the fact that such a well-organised racket could be allowed to function remains a huge issue. The very nature of the approval process means that an influential person with top connections is behind this and has escaped attention for eight years. Moreover, the fact that Sri Lanka’s embassies in these countries were unaware or chose to do nothing about the arrival of fellow citizens is a condemnable lapse.

This latest incident brings into sharper focus the need for consistent monitoring and opening up of avenues that give greater opportunity for workers to find legal methods to make a better living. It is practical to think that at least some of the workers knew this was illegal and chose to go anyway. One thing that the current exodus to Australia proves more than anything else is that migrants are not concerned about the legality of their actions.

However, poor work conditions, legal repercussions, lower than promised wages, and subservience to the racketeer would be issues that they would be concerned about. Such knowledge should be made available to workers along with suitable options by the SLFEB. After all, migrant workers are our largest source of income, their bravery and drive is what keeps the rest of the nation growing, and so they surely deserve more respect than this.