"Some more Sri Lankans to be executed"

Deputy Foreign minister prof. Vishva Warnapala told BBC Sandeshaya that a scheduled visit to the region to save Sri Lankans facing executions was delayed due to tsunami.

Prof. Warnapala said that Sri Lankans facing death in Saudi Arabia are sentenced according to the law of the land and the foreign ministry "has no power" to change that.

Geetha Udugama, the wife of one of the death row inmates in Saudi Arabia, Edirisinghe, has strongly condemned the attitudes taken by many Sri Lankan authorities to her desperate plea regarding the fate of her husband, the Asian human Rights Commission (AHRC) said.

"Severe punishment"

Minister Warnapala admitted that Geetha Udugama and Edirisinghe's other relatives met him to plead support to save his life.

Warnapala says those facing death are sentenced according to the law of the land

"We were asked to intervene as the punishment is very severe and through our diplomatic channels we are still trying our best to change the situation."

"But our attempts so far have been unsuccessful," he added.

AHRC says that Udugama feels that authorities seem reluctant to intervene in the case, fearing that Sri Lanka may lose business contacts if such interventions are made.

"Business fears"

"She further says that on a recent visit by the brother of His Excellency the King of Saudi Arabia, she pleaded that this matter be addressed to him so that he could move the Saudi authorities to take a merciful attitude in this case. However, this request was also rejected," said the AHRC.

"Many countries that send large numbers of migrant workers abroad, such as the Philippines, have developed mechanisms to receive complaints and to deal with them. Sri Lanka, however, has not."

Prof. Warnapala said he has no authority to get involved in creating such a mechanism.

However, the cabinet of ministers have requested him to visit Middle East countries and make recommendations on creating such a mechanism, he added.