Lankan illegal migrant workers in Kuwait to return

Mohammed Naalir

Foreign illegal migrant workers in Kuwait have been given a September 1 to October 15 deadline by the Kuwaiti Government to leave the country under a General Amnesty, Foreign Employment Bureau Chairman Kingsley Ranawaka told the Daily News yesterday.

He said that during this period they are permitted to leave Kuwait without punishment or imprisonment.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) will grant 1,000 air tickets to bring them back to Sri Lanka on a request by Ranawaka.

However they have allocated only 200 air tickets so far, he said.

"Fifty illegal Sri Lankan migrant workers will arrive in Sri Lanka today by a SriLankan Airlines flight from Kuwait. Another two groups comprising 75 will arrive tomorrow and the day after," Ranawaka said.

Ranawaka noted that there are nearly 2,200 illegal migrant workers in Kuwait and they will return to the country shortly.