Nine Lankans return from Libya

Nine Sri Lankans who were working in Libya arrived in the island yesterday, a spokesman for the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) said.

Another 58 Sri Lankan migrant workers in Libya are slated to return home today, according to the same source. Among them are 31 workers who were employed at a hotel in Libya.

According to the SLBFE, immediate steps have been taken to evacuate Sri Lankans working in Libya considering the growing unrest in the country. Special flights and boats are to be used to evacuate Sri Lankans.

According to sources, nearly 400 Sri Lankans to date have sought refuge in the embassy premises in Tripoli.

They too are to be brought back shortly. The SLBFE yesterday assured that all steps had been taken to ensure the quick and safe return of Sri Lankan migrant workers from Libya.

Meanwhile, the SLBFE has taken measures to send a special charter plane today to Greece via Abu Dhabi to bring back 36 Sri Lankan migrant workers who have already been repatriated to Greece following the unrest in Libya. The Government has spent over Rs 100,000 per person for air ticket to bring them to Sri Lanka. The Bureau will send money to the Sri Lankan mission in Greece to provide tickets, as well as accommodation and modes of internal transportation for Sri Lankans awaiting repatriation.