The well -known Vlogger Cosmin Avram arrived in the city of diamonds, Ratnapura, in Sri Lanka. The Romanian spoke with the people who work in the mines there risks their lives daily for 3 euros a day or even less.
People endanger their lives for 3 euros. Photo: video capture
Cosmin Avram arrived in Sri Lanka, a country that sends hundreds of workers in Romania year by year. The vlogger wanted to see with his eyes the precious stones in Ratnapura, the city of diamonds, but also to meet and see at work the workers who work hard for winnings that would be modest in Romania.
Ratnapura is famous from the Middle Ages, says Cosmin. On the way, he was approached by a man who was surprised that there are people who go to the area not to trade with rare stones, but simply to visit and to meet those who work there. “Even Marco Polo wrote that the island had the best sapphire, topaz and amethyst stones in the world. The man asked us what we do in Radnapura, for what we are going there. Tourists do not usually go to that area, I told him that we want to visit a mine, so on the route you might show us some interesting things ”, says Cosmin Avram at first.
Hard work and maximum risk for 3 euros per day
There he discovered the miners in the area, people who do a risky work for income that do not reach the equivalent of 100 euros a month. In fact, says Cosmin, people do not even receive salaries, but are paid by day. And in many cases, they receive working only one day or two a week, which makes salaries ridiculous, in relation to Europe.
Friendly, people received him in the middle of them and talked to him, including a tea. This is how he learned that I receive at most 3 euros for a whole night worked in the mine and that most of the time I receive them only after a few weeks. “It goes on trust”, says the vlogger, who also recalls that millionaires, people with many money, to trade precious stones, come to the area.
Among those who work in the mine are a local who has a friend who went to work in Romania, in Cluj. But not everyone can afford to go to work in Romania, because the road to Europe is very expensive, and work visas are not always easy to obtain.
Who gets rich
Cosmin Avram noted the simplicity of people, but also the fact that they are very welcoming and friendly with strangers. “The profit of their work is 3%. 35% of the money go to the owners. Another 3% are for people who work. And another part of the profit is for people who invest. The land owner receives an important part, 35%. After that a very large commission goes to the one who carries out all the activity, the one who organizes, the one who has machines. The businessman, here is called another way. But most money is made by intermediaries, those who sell, buy and sell precious stones”, Says Cosmin.
Beyond everything, people risk their lives at any time. While Cosmin descended underground, the driver, who served as a guide, refused to do so.
“Our driver, the person who brought us, who put us in touch with these people, did not want to descend. He said it was dangerous. This is because in 2015 four people died in such a mine. The pillars gave up, so everything collapsed. At this moment there are about six to seven people here. These tunnels, which makes this underground work even more dangerous ”, says Vlogger Cosmin Avram.
