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JVP: Expat Lankans will stop remittances unless govt. solves their problems
By Saman Indrajith
The JVP-led Sri Lankan expatriate association, Ethera Api, yesterday warned that the Sri Lankan migrant workers were poised to decide whether they would continue to send their earnings home or not if the government continued to ignore their grievances.
JVP Politburo member and Chairman of the Ethera Api Sunil Handunnetti told the media at the party headquarters in Pelawatte that the government had withdrawn most of its employees in high commissions, embassies, etc., in foreign countries due to the pandemic outbreak and there were no lobour or welfare officers in those offices to attend to grievances of Lankans living abroad. “The government goes begging for dollars world over but has no concern about the migrant workers who send home around 7,000 million US dollars a year. Even amidst pandemic, the migrant workers have sent home 3,324 million US dollars during the first six months of this year. On average, they send home around 550 million a month. Yet the government has no concern for their issues. The government has no mechanism to look after the family members and children of those migrant workers. There are many migrant workers who cannot obtain vaccines because they do not have documents. The government should have put in place a mechanism via the diplomatic missions abroad to provide an opportunity for the Lankans living there to obtain vaccines. They are fed up calling for the attention of the government. They will soon make a decision whether they would continue to send money to this country in future,” Handunnetti said.
Ethera Api Treasurer Attorney-at-Law Janaka Adhikari said that the diplomatic missions abroad had failed to provide for many Lankans stranded in foreign countries due to the pandemic. An official of the Foreign Employment Bureau says that they spent between Rs 13 and 15 million to provide food for Lankans who lost their jobs abroad. We demand to know details of the countries and number of migrant workers supported in that manner.”
Pope Leo XIV appealed for “no more war” in a message to world powers during his first Sunday address at the Vatican.
Reflecting on current conflicts, the newly selected pontiff called for a “lasting peace” in the war in Ukraine, a ceasefire in Gaza, and welcomed Saturday’s agreement to end recent hostilities between India and Pakistan.
He said he was “deeply hurt” by events in Gaza, expressed hope for a “lasting accord” between India and Pakistan, and wished for a “authentic, true and lasting peace” in Ukraine.
The Pope also recited the Regina Caeli prayer, in honour of the Virgin Mary, to the crowd in St Peter’s Square.
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May this Vesak celebration be a blessed one filled with kindness and compassion towards all living beings – PM
In her Vesak day message, Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya wished that this Vesak celebration be a blessed one filled with kindness and compassion towards all living beings
The full text of the prime ministers vesak day message:
“It is an honor to extend my Vesak day message to all citizens of the nation during this sacred period in which Buddhist community across Sri Lanka come together to pay homage to the Lord Buddha, upholding both material and spiritual offerings and commemorating the threefold sacred events of the Lord Buddha’s life.
Since ancient times, the lives of the Sri Lankan people have been deeply rooted by the teaching of the Lord Buddha and this is a greater inheritance we have received through the Dhamma. In our country, where people of diverse ethnicities and religions coexist in harmony, the collective celebration of a major religious festival such as Vesak stands as a powerful testament to that unity.
This year Vesak day celebration marks the first to be celebrated under the current government, which was established with the vision of “A Prosperous Country, a Beautiful Life.” I believe that this Vesak season is a particularly a time to heal the hearts and minds of humanity, especially as our nation embarks on a path of meaningful transformation. Through this message, I take this opportunity to invite all of citizens to unite in mind and spirit, bound together by mutual respect and compassion.
I join all Sri Lankans in praying that the flames of war burning in various parts of the world at this moment may be extinguished, and that all people across the globe may be blessed with lives of happiness and peace.
May all of you have a blessed Vesak!”
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Special waste management programme launched under “Clean Sri Lanka” during the State Vesak Festival
Parallel with the State Vesak Festival that commenced on Saturday (10) in the Nuwara Eliya District, a special waste management initiative has been launched under the “Clean Sri Lanka” programme to enhance facilities for devotees and ensure proper waste disposal in the city of Nuwara Eliya.
With hundreds of thousands of people expected to visit Nuwara Eliya during the Vesak Week, from May 10 to 16, this initiative is aimed at preserving the cleanliness and beauty of the area.
The programme will focus particularly on areas around the Gregory Lake, a key tourist attraction, and the Nuwara Eliya International Buddhist Centre, the venue for the State Vesak Festival.
In addition, the “Clean Sri Lanka” initiative urges visiting devotees to refrain from bringing non-biodegradable material such as polythene and calls on all citizens to act responsibly by properly disposing of waste only at designated locations, while maintaining the sanctity and cleanliness of the environment.
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