New prison term for bogus job agents

Rasika Somarathna

Authorities are to take strict measures against organizations/individuals who are engaged in unauthorized recruitment of persons for foreign employment with penalties ranging from a maximum prison term of up to four years plus a fine of Rs.100,000.

Sleuths of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) have been vested with powers to arrest without warrant any such unauthorized recruiters under the provisions of recent amendments to the SLBFE Act No. 21 of 1985, passed in Parliament on September 24.

According to SLBFE Chairman Kingsly Ranawaka, fresh moves are afoot to identify these rogue recruiters and deal with them appropriately under the additional powers vested with them.

Manpower export in Sri Lanka which has risen to unprecedented heights in recent times has also become the country's highest foreign exchange earner. It has also contributed to reduce the rate of unemployment ratios in the country in a significant way with more than 1.7 million at present being employed abroad.

Thus with the demand for foreign employment sky rocketing malpractices of a large scale have also seen an increase comparatively.