SRI LANKA - MIGRATION IN 2000

Migration from Sri Lanka continued to rise, maintaining the same basic features: it is almost exclusively directed toward the Middle East and it remains dominated by female migrants employed as domestic workers. The government encouraged registration with the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SBLFE) so that migrants can avail of welfare benefits. Remittances in 1999 increased to Rs74 billion, up from Rs64 billion of the year before. The first nine months of 2000 registered an increase of 14 percent. Also 4,724 Sri Lankan workers displaced during the Gulf War received Rs1,360 million from Kuwait, bringing the percentage of those who received compensation to 90 percent. Complex smuggling schemes, operated by the Tamil Tigers, were uncovered. The scheme involved bringing Sri Lankan workers to Canada and Europe, where they would apply as refugees. By charging US20,000-50,000 per person, smuggling also became a major source of funds for the fighting group. The government admitted that 8,352 internal refugees created by the conflict between Tamils and Sinhalese are hosted in camps, a number much lower than estimates by international aid workers. However, the Commission of Essential Services has reported that 16,767 persons have registered in 138 relief centers in Jaffna. Many find refuge in Tamil Nadu, India, where 130 camps host perhaps 66,000 refugees.