Steps taken to bring back stranded expatriates

Labour Relations and Foreign Employment Minister Athauda Seneviratne issued a directive to the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment to bring back 152 persons to Sri Lanka, who were kept in Detention Camps and Embassy Offices in Saudi Arabia.

According to the directive of Minister, Sri lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment has made arrangements, yesterday to bring back them to Sri Lanka on Saudi Arabian special plane. These persons consisting of seventy seven (77) Sri Lankan women and seventy five (75) men were engaged in Foreign Employment in Saudi Arabia. Out of them includes one woman fully handicapped, and six (6) women in minor handicapped position.

At present they are kept in "Sahana Piyasa". Arrangements will be made today to hospitalize them as some of the them need medical attention.

Arrangements were made to send back others to their homes. Some men workers were removed from their employment institutions and some persons were refused the right to come back to Sri Lanka although their visa period have been expired.

Minister Senaviratne expressing in a his views on this issue said he as Minister in charge of Labour Relations and Foreign Employment has taken measures to bring back all Sri Lankans in Detention Camps in other countries as well.