Workers flee while embassy officials negotiate visa issue

The Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau yesterday said that 37 Sri Lankan expatriate workers overstaying their visas had fled while Sri Lankan embassy officials in Jordan were negotiating with the authorities over this matter.

The Bureau in a statement yesterday said that the Sri Lankan women had sought protection at the Sri Lankan embassy as their visa had not been extended.

The statement said that the Sri Lankans were aware that the embassy were having negotiations with Jordan officials to settle the dispute.

"As a result of discussions, solutions had been found to problems of 11 expatriate workers and the Jordan authorities had given them permission to leave the country."

The women had been later nabbed by police and handed over to the embassy.

Thirty three had informed the embassy in writing that they would get their problems settled with the mediation of a Non-Governmental Organization in Jordan and left the embassy.