The proposed Sri Lankan Cultural Welfare Centre, under the auspices of Sri Lankan embassy in Qatar, will benefit the more than 100,000 Sri Lankans here, ambassador WM Karunadasa has said.
“To cater to this community, I would like to introduce certain reforms with regard to the welfare of the Sri Lankan community in Qatar,” the ambassador told Gulf Times yesterday.
According to the ambassador, he has appointed a “cultural community,” which will establish the Sri Lankan Cultural Welfare Centre.
The cultural community, he further said, will promote the welfare of the Sri Lankan expatriates in Qatar “and to bring redress to labour-related grievances and housemaids in trouble.”
“Also, the cultural community will co-ordinate, monitor, and supervise all cultural-related issues conducted by the 20 embassy-registered organisations in the state,” he said.
“With regard to the cultural activities done by a self-identified Sinhala Buddhist dominated cultural group for the last 14 years, reform has been already initiated by appointing an 11-member ‘Supreme Council’ represented by all communities: the Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslims,” the ambassador stressed.
Karunadasa said having an umbrella organisation under the banner of the Supreme Council would help streamline the responsibilities of the embassy to the Sri Lankan community.

“To cater to this community, I would like to introduce certain reforms with regard to the welfare of the Sri Lankan community in Qatar”