Sri Lanka Seeks International Help For Its Citizens Trapped In Lebanon
Komfie Manalo - All Headline News Foreign Correspondent Colombo, Sri Lanka (AHN) - The government of Sri Lanka is appealing to the international community for assistance in evacuating its citizens still trapped in war-ravaged Lebanon. Officials on Monday said an estimated 80,000 Sri Lankans are working in the war-torn Middle East country mostly as domestic helpers, truck drivers and child-minders. There were reports that employers were preventing the Sri Lankans from leaving the country by holding on to their passports or refusing payment. An official at the Foreign Employment Bureau said he received at least 30 such complaints accusing Lebanese employers of trying to force Sri Lankan maids to stay. The official said, "I have spoken to some of the employers directly and told them of the contractual obligations and that they must allow the maids to leave." Some of the domestic helpers left their employers with only the clothes there were wearing and had been issued temporary documents by the embassy. The International Organization for Migration said they were able to repatriate some 260 Sri Lankan men and women who had sought temporary shelter in the Sri Lankan embassy in Beirut. An additional 1,470 Sri Lankans are awaiting repatriation by the IOM. IOM spokeswoman Ranjitha Balasubramanyam says, "Our coordinating office in Beirut is now working on repatriating another 770 Sri Lankans in the next couple of days. Th |
