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SL joins others in evacuating its nationals from Libya
View(s):Sri Lanka has joined a host of other nations in evacuating its nationals living and working in Libya due to growing civil unrest in the North African nation.
The first batch of 17 out of a total of around 120 Lankans were evacuated this week, said Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Egypt Sudantha Ganegama Arachchi. The Embassy in Cairo is concurrently accredited to Libya.
The Ambassador said he had spoken to all the Lankans and urged them to leave the country as soon as possible. “The situation is going from bad to worse and I have advised all the Lankans to leave as soon as possible,” he said.
“They have been advised to cross over to Tunisia from where they are to be airlifted,” he said.
Around 120 Lankans are currently in Libya, many working on construction sites and in the hospitality trade. However, some have shown a reluctance to leave.
“We cannot force anyone to leave, we can only advise them on the best course of action, given the deteriorating situation there,” said Ambassador Ganegama Arachchi.
“Some are unwilling to leave, saying they have spent money to get there and want the Sri Lanka Government to send them to some other country instead, or pay compensation,” an External Affairs Ministry official said.
The Philippines, which has a large workforce in Libya and India, is among other countries that have begun evacuating its nationals from Libya.