By Saman Indrajith

Dissident SLPP MP Dullas Alahapperuma, taking part in the ongoing Budget debate in Parliament on Saturday, demanded to know whether Sri Lanka’s Foreign Service was engaged in the flesh trade; some Sri Lankan embassy officials were allegedly involved in a racket where female job seekers were forced into prostitution overseas, he said.

 “The victims may have gone abroad on visit visas, but they were under the protection of the Embassy, and the question is whether our foreign service is engaged in the flesh trade,” Alahapperuma said.

SJB Puttalam District MP Hector Appuhamy told Parliament that a suspect, who was behind the racket, where Sri Lankan women were sold as sex slaves in Oman, had been arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport on arrival from Dubai. “All information about the man must be made public so that more women will not fall prey,” Appuhamy said.

State Minister of Foreign Employment Jagath Pushpakumara said that the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau could not take responsibility. “These women have gone to Oman on visit visas. They have not been registered in the Bureau. They have gone there on their own. This is not a problem for which our Ministry should be held responsible. It is up to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to look into it,” the Minister said.

MP Appuhamy said that the problem was that the Lankan women were being sold as sex slavery.Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that the government would investigate the matter, and a special team had been dispatched to look into the complaints of the sex slave ring, in Oman, and swift action would be take on the receipt of their report. “The President has paid special attention to this situation. This is a national issue and as result of the steps taken, the relevant groups have been arrested,” the PM said.