Lankan expats honor top Saudi officials

DAMMAM: Prominent members of the Sri Lankan community in the Eastern Province honored a number of high-ranking Saudi officials for lending crucial help to distressed expatriates.
Api Sri Lanka Association, a welfare society headed by President R.G. Jayantha Kumara, organized the event.
Kumara, who is also the Sri Lankan embassy representative to the Eastern Province, paid fulsome tributes to Brig. Gen. Saleh Hassan Al-Qahtani, administrative director of police in the Eastern Province; and to other police, labor and human rights officials for sorting out issues relating to troubled Sri Lankan expatriates in the region.
“Brig. Gen. Al-Qahtani and other government officials have always been of immense help to our community,” said Kumara. “It is because of their total and constant support that we have been able to settle a very high number of cases of our fellow nationals.”
Brig. Gen. Al-Qahtani thanked the association for playing the role of a bridge between the government and the expatriate community.
“I wish to state here that Api Sri Lanka Association is doing an excellent job in providing assistance to all Sri Lankans,” he said in his short address. “It is because of their good work that we have been able to resolve a number of issues that have been brought to the police headquarters in the Eastern Province.”
The high-ranking official also appreciated the association’s other activities. “I am aware of the fact that this association is engaged in other welfare activities as well, such as representing the Sri Lankan expatriates in labor and arbitration courts,” said Al-Qahtani. “They deserve appreciation, and I take this opportunity to reiterate that we will lend full support to Api Sri Lanka Association.”
Association President Jayantha Kumara said although Sri Lankan Ambassador Ahmed Jawad could not attend the event, he had sent in his congratulations and good wishes to the association. “We thank our ambassador for his support,” he said.
Among the other prominent Saudi guests at the event were Gen. Sultan Al-Dossary, Capt. Mutlak Al-Dossary, Abdul Aziz Al-Mishali (Eastern Province governorate), Abdullah Mohamed Al-Rashid (Ministry of Labor), Al-Humaidi bin Lafy Al-Saihani (president of the Chamber for Settlement of Labor Disputes) and Yousuf Al-Gasairi (Ministry of Labor).
Among the prominent Sri Lankans were Shelton Wedage, K. Fernando, Mohammed Tareq Asees, Nishantha Mohottige, C.D. Karunaratne, Kasim Hassan, L. Samarapala, T. Thaneshwaralingam, Gamitha Wickramanayake, Karunathillake, Nishantha Kankanam, and Hemantha Hidika.
Api Sri Lanka International was founded in 1997.