The visa-on-arrival facility extended to citizens of several countries has made Sri Lanka a safe haven for refugees, asylum seekers and menial job hunters, an investigation by the Sunday Times has revealed. The worst abuses have come from nationals of India and Pakistan.

The Saudi Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Kingdom’s National Recruitment Committee have asked their government to impose a total ban on recruitment of workers from Sri Lanka. The decision was taken by the two bodies at a meeting in Kassam, a suburb of Riyadh.