Our statements condemning state and media response to migrant worker protests.
Threatening harsh legal action against migrant workers will not deter workers in desperate conditions, going without months of pay, from demanding their basic rights.

#DropTheCharges

Excessive use of police force during migrant worker protests & rhetoric portraying helpless workers as "threats to national security" is baseless and unacceptable.
This narrative only serves to intimidate and further provoke workers with no access to formal channels to justice.

The fact that political actors from both the biggest political parties have engaged in setting such xenophobic narrative is shameful and must be forcefully resisted.

The only acceptable response to these protests is to #DropTheCharges and pay workers their wages in full.

@AmbassadorZhang @HCIMaldives @caron_rohsler @AusHCSrilanka @CanHCSrilanka @USAmbSLM @tanjagonggrijp @Trine_J_Eskedal @FranceinColombo @UKinMaldives @GermanyinSL @EU_in_Sri_Lanka @UNWTO @UNHumanRights @UNMaldives @WorldBankSAsia @WHOMaldives @hrw @UN_CMW @UNmigration @NHRCB

@DhakaTribune @dailystarnews @Himalistan @AFPSouthAsia @cnnasiapr @BBCRajiniV @BBCSanjoyM @RadioFreeAsia @ChannelNewsAsia @ProgIntl @davidrkadler @amnesty @OmarWaraich @KenRoth @HaswellUN @julieverhaar @mbachelet @HaoliangXu @pololikashvili

Original statements released by Police and opposition party PPM/PNC cited in this thread