Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Ministry is exploring the possibilities of repatriating Sri Lankans in Maldives, Kuwait, Middle East, Bangladesh and other countries due to coronavirus pandemic spreading worldwide at a rapid pace.
Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha revealed the details of the newly approved Cabinet Paper on action taken by the government to assist vulnerable sectors of the migrant labour category of overseas Sri Lankans amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said the Foreign Ministry’s view had been that once the return was allowed and repatriation started, it should be done on the basis of maximum vulnerability.
He said that Sri Lankans between 1,200-1,500 living in the Maldives are also a vulnerable group for coronavirus threat.
He said Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena was negotiating with his counterparts in Kuwait and Middle-East to bring back Sri Lankans to the country.
The Minister is also looking possibilities to repatriate Sri Lankan expatriates working in places like Bangladesh, where coronavirus was spreading at a very rapid pace.
“There are more than a thousand people there, out of which about 300 plus are women and children. We will similarly focus on repatriating vulnerable migrant worker categories from the Middle East and elsewhere,” he said.
(LIN)