Seventeen Sri Lankan professionals along with the Sri Lankan Consulate General in Jeddah will be working for interest of Sri Lankan expatriate community and strengthen the ties between Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia. It was discussed last week when the Network of Sri Lankan Professionals (NSLP) was formed. It also is aimed at building the Sri Lankan economy through various social, cultural and professional events. According to Sri Lankan Consul General Abdul Latif Mohammad Lafeer, the NSLP's apex body will be working in order to keep the momentum by working with the upcoming projects. The Consuls have tenures so there must be some members of the community who will be looking constantly for the Sri Lankan expatriates by communicating with them and the issues they are dealing with, he said. Lafeer said 50 talented and skilled Sri Lankans from the country will be brought by the NSLP and their skills will be utilized here in the Kingdom. “For that we are trying to find proper sponsors for them.” Around 500,000 Sri Lankans are living in the Kingdom, and 150,000 are in the Western Region. “The main objective of this NSLP is to formalizing a network of the island's professionals and promote relations with Saudi Arabia through various social, cultural and professional events,” he said. According to him, the foreign remittance to Sri Lanka from expatriates is around $2.5 million and in future it might grow around $3 million. “Also we are trying our level best to promote investment in Sri Lankan tourism, its economy and of all cultural exchange,” said Lafeer. The network will be having around 5,000 to 6,000 members from different regions in the Kingdom, who will be from different professions, said Dr. H. M. Rafeek, the protocol manager of NSLP. They have also launched a website where information about all the activities of NSLP will be posted, he said. The network's executive board members are Abdul Latif Mohammad Lafeer, Dr. Mahroof Haj Mohideen, Farweez Shahabdeen, Chandana Ranjan, Sinnappah Chandrakumaran, Rohan Burah, Shervin Fernando, Mohamed Mashoodh, Rameez Ziard, Dr. H. M. Rafeek, Saleh Shahul Hameed, Mohamed Lareef Lafir, Valli Thankarajah, Imran Saleem, Roshan Sardeen, Meeran H. Nasurallah and Nilpul Seneviratne. __
