Govt. to keep eye on who’s migrating

6-Feb-2008

The government together with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has established the national centre to monitor on persons migrating. In this respect the IOM and the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) have opened a National Centre for Migration Statistics in Colombo.
The centre, which is housed at the DCS, is funded by the European Commission and Australia, and is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka. It will serve as a central body where statistical data related to migration will be collected, stored, analyzed and made available to the public through the departmental website. “This centre will enhance the capacity of the Sri Lankan government to collect reliable, comprehensive and sustainable data on migration, which at present is scattered among various government departments and international organizations,” said DCS Director General Ms. S. Vidyaratne. “As a country with high outward migration, Sri Lanka needs reliable statistics on migration patterns and flows to formulate effective migration policies,” said IOM Sri Lanka Chief of Mission Mohammad Abdi Ker. The centre will source its data from various stakeholders including the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, the Departments of Police, Immigration and Emigration, UN agencies and diplomatic missions.