Saudi Arabia deports 65 Sri Lankan migrant employees

Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau said the Saudi government has deported 65 Sri Lankan migrant employees to Sri Lanka.

The deported migrant workers have arrived in a special flight at the international airport in Katunayake an official said.

Saudi police have arrested the Sri Lankan workers for engaging in employment in places other than the ones assigned to them in their contracts.

Saudi Immigration authorities have decided to deport them immediately for the offence of violating the service agreements.

Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau has taken measures to provide the travel fee for the returned workers and send them home safely.

Over 500,000 Sri Lankans work in Saudi Arabia, mostly in unskilled jobs as housemaids. Migrant remittances are a mainstay of the Lankan economy, accounting for about 7 percent of GDP.