COLOMBO : Arrangements will be made by the Sri Lankan government to repatriate migrant workers who wish to return home from the Middle East and Maldives.
Cabinet Spokesman Minister Ramesh Pathirana told media that the cabinet approval has been obtained for the repatriation of such migrant workers by the ministry of foreign employment promotion and welfare. He also said that the migrant workers will be brought back at state expenses. He added that a good number of them are expected to return from Dubai and Kuwait.
The minister said that the government brought back all its students who were willing to return to their island.
· Last week, the ministry of foreign relations, worked out the modalities to issue temporary travel documents to undocumented workers abroad following proper authentication procedures has been agreed on by the Department of Immigration and Emigration. This follows consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Relations, Ministry of Skills Development, Employment and Labour Relations and Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE). It is intended to facilitate the repatriation of migrant workers, once the Government decides on a timeline for their repatriation.