Island-wide operations to arrest human traffickers

Island-wide operations are to be launched to track down and arrest those operating human trafficking rackets.  

This follows a high-level discussions held yesterday (16) with the participation of Minister of Labour and Foriegn Employment Manusha Nanayakkara, Public Security Minister Tiran Alles, senior officials of the Police, Bureau of Foreign Employment and the Department of Immigration and Emigration. 

It was decided to conduct island-wide to conduct operations island-wide to track down and arrest operators of human trafficking rings and to also take strict action against such persons irrespective of their status. 

It was also decided that officials would meet every two weeks to hold a progress review of actions taken against those involved in human trafficking. The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment has received information regarding a number of Sri Lankans, based in Sri Lanka and overseas, who are allegedly engaged in human trafficking and action is being taken against them based on those reports, the Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment stated. 

Authorities are also conducting public awareness campaigns to brief the public on human trafficking, the Ministry added.