6,000 illegal...

The minister said the amnesty period would end on November 3 and all Sri Lankans living in the Kingdom without visas must return to Sri Lanka or face punitive measures i mposed by it.

“The general amnesty was to end on July 3. But the Saudi Government extended it to November on requests for more time by Sri Lanka and several other Asian countries,” the minister said.

He said those who intend using this opportunity to return home would have to report to the Saudi Immigration and Emigration Office known as ‘Jawasad’ with their particulars and those who do not possess a valid passport were required to contact the Sri Lankan missions i n Riyadh and Jeddah.

The minister said about 500,000 Sri Lankans are legally employed in the KSA. With regard to those working there illegally, he said what happened was that they get away from their first sponsor on the sly so as to prevent the sponsor fee being deducted from their salary and then seek employment illegally with another employer.

Sri Lanka earned its largest segment of foreign exchange -- some UN$6 billion -- from the expatriate Sri Lankan employees in the Saudia Arabia. The minister said those who return home under the amnesty were free to go back to Saudi Arabia for employment through legal channels and added that those who chose to remain would be arrested and be liable for two years imprisonment plus a fine of Saudi Riyals100,000 or Rs.3.5 million.