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‘Living’ in Kuala Lumpur airport for 20 days
Jacklin Mariyan Victor went to Australia to visit her sister. On March 19, the 31-year-old from Trincomalee was transiting in Kuala Lumpur on her return to Sri Lanka when that airport shut down.
“I have been sleeping in the terminal on chairs with blankets,” she told the Sunday Times via telephone this week. “I have been buying my own food from the shops here. It is very expensive.”
A few travellers from other countries are similarly in limbo. Jacklin is the only Sri Lankan.
The Malaysian Government now has a hall for stranded passengers. “I can’t get lodging or leave the airport for any reason,” she said. “I’ve been using the airport washrooms and the Malaysian Minister of Transport came and gave soap, shampoo and a few other essentials.”
As a transit passenger, Jacklin has been refused a Malaysian visa. The Sri Lankan authorities have been in touch with her since Tuesday when two representatives from the High Commission visited.
“It’s been 20 days now but I’m okay,” she said. “There are immigration officers here twenty-four-seven for our safety. The Sri Lankan officials said they are doing their best to get me home but my location and situation have led to some logistical complications.”
This week, Cabinet sanctioned a proposal from Foreign Relations Minister Dinesh Gunawardena to repatriate 33 Sri Lankan stranded in airports in Singapore, Oman, Dubai, Ethiopia, Turkey, Malaysia, New Delhi in India, Maldives, London, Seychelles, Papua New Guinea and Portugal. On return, they will be quarantined for 21 days.
Included in the list are Sri Lankans who were on short visas, in transit and people who went abroad for medical reasons, an official source said. He did not wish to be named. They will have to make their way to four airports identified as pick-up points, an official source said. They are Singapore, Maldives, London and Doha. They will be brought back on SriLankan Airlines and Qatar Airways.
“We started bringing people back on April 7,” he said. “The speed and number of people depends on the availability of flights. And they have to pay for their own ride.”
There are countless other Sri Lankans waiting to return but as they must also undergo mandatory quarantine, the situation at the local facilities have to be considered before further repatriation is undertaken, the source said. But a decision will be reached shortly and priority will be granted in order of vulnerability. The focus will be students, migrant workers, permanent residents and Sri Lankans with citizenships in other countries–in that order.
Australia poses a specific problem because, this week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said tourist and foreign students unable to support themselves financially during the pandemic should go home.
But Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Relations said this was no cause for concern as it was “not a blanket statement”. It did not apply to students presently in Australia, maintained Ravinatha Aryasinha, Ministry Secretary. Sri Lankan authorities were in continuous dialogue with the Australians. There are around 5,000 Sri Lankans on tourist visa in Australia now.
Sri Lankan missions across the globe were gathering data and responding to the issues citizens stuck abroad faced. Those in countries that have asked tourist visa-holders to leave must get in touch with their immediate mission so the Government could plan necessary action, Mr Aryasinha said. Repatriation was a colossal task with multiple factors to consider.
Priority will be given to Sri Lankans in danger zones, similar to how the problem of those stuck in airports was dealt with. Matching resources to the many issues in a volatile situation was a challenge. “There must be equity” as well as “logic in differentiation” when catering to the needs of Sri Lankans abroad, Mr Aryasinha said.
Those who require stay extensions in their respective locations will be assisted but must make their appeals known to the relevant authorities. The Secretary urged the public to not be demoralized by misinformation and panic as the missions were running hands-on operations.