Stranded Lankans arrive from Saudi

Rafik Jalaldeen

Around 100 stranded Sri Lankan workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia arrived home today morning at the Bandaranaike International Airport. The Sri Lankan mission in Riyadh is working to send more stranded workers home.

An External Affairs Ministry senior officer said nearly 100 workers repatriated from Saudi Arabia arrived in Sri Lanka.

Most were housemaids. The mission in Riyadh has taken steps to send them home batch after a batch, he said.

“These housemaids ran away from their working places due to various reasons and were sheltered at the Sri Lanka mission in Riyadh. Some were living at the deportation camp in Riyadh while others were kept at the Safe House of the Sri Lanka Embassy. They were well looked after by local officials,” an External Ministry Officer told the Daily News. Earlier, Around 44 housemaids repatriated from Saudi Arabia arrived Monday.

“There is a delay in sending them home at once due to difficulty in reserving seats in the Airlines. Therefore, they will be sent home in groups,” he added. According to foreign media reports, illegal foreign workers awaiting deportation are being housed in Jeddah under an official program to keep them from living under bridges, public squares and other public areas.

The matter is being addressed by a committee assigned by the Saudi Foreign Ministry’ Jeddah office. Jeddah office Director Abdul Latheef said a study conducted by the Foreign Affairs Ministry showed that most illegal workers in the Jeddah Governorate are from the Philippines, India, Sudan, Egypt, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

The study also revealed that these communities include children and old people who need special care.