'Don't
worry, Kuwait is not Iraq'
Government assures thousands of
family members here
By Nilika Kasturisinghe
![](../images/workers.jpg)
People crowd a departure ticket counter at Kuwait International
Airport trying desperately to leave Kuwait City after another
day of air raid sirens sounded all over the city on March 21
as US-led forces moved into Iraq. AFP |
As US- led forces
continue their blistering attack on Iraq, there was growing concern
here over the plight of about 170,000 Sri Lankans working in Kuwait
especially since most international flights from there have been
cancelled. But there were repeated assurances from authorities in
Colombo that they were closely monitoring the situation.
Foreign Ministry
Spokesman Gamini Kariyawasam said reports indicated Sri Lankans
were heading towards safe camps located in different parts of Kuwait
on Friday. He said some Kuwaiti families were reportedly leaving
to Saudi Arabia taking their Sri Lankan housemaids along with them.
Meanwhile Foreign
Minister Tyronne Fernando said he believed there was no need for
evacuation right now, and there had been no requests from Sri lankans
in Kuwait but the government was prepared with an emergency plan
if the need arose. Foreign Employment Welfare Minister, Lakshman
Yapa Abeywardena said, the Sri Lankan mission in Kuwait had formed
an emergency team comprising seven embassy officers and more than
60 others representing Lankans from various parts of Kuwait.
He said the
safety camps set up with aid from the Red Cross and UN agencies
would provide basic shelter, food and health care while plans were
also in place to move the Lankans to safer buildings if the situation
worsened. He said Sri Lankans in Kuwait had been kept fully informed
of the developments through Sirasa and TV Lanka. Every household
with a Sri Lankan had been given a leaflet in Sinhala briefing them
on what to do when the war erupted.
Mr. Abeywardene
said Ministry was receiving full reports every six hours from its
mission in Kuwait. "Our people are in no hurry to return. Don't
look at Kuwait the way you look at Iraq," Minister Abeywardena
told concerned family members here. "Every six hours the water
and food is checked for chemicals."
"If the
war continues we might need some repatriation and we will work it
out with the Kuwaiti and SriLankan Airlines. Don't worry the Saudi
boarder is still opened and Lankans could move out that way,"
he assured.
The Minister
said three months ago there were about 300 Sri Lankans in Iraq but
as the crisis grew only 27 were left and all but one of them flew
out when the war began. He said the only Lankan who remained was
married to an Iraqi and preferred to remain in that country.
Sri Lanka's
Ambassador to Iraq M.M. Amunul Farouque also left Iraq and is watching
the situation from the Jordanian capital of Amman. Sri Lanka Foreign
Employment Bureau (SLBFE) Chairman Susantha Fernando said, a 24
hour information centre had been set up at the SLBFE with three
top officers in charge. They could be contacted on telephone Nos.
598211 and 592353.
As the war broke
out in Iraq on Thursday emergency meetings of senior officials of
the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Foreign Employment Welfare Ministry
and Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment took place in the parliamentary
premises.
The SLBFE was
instructed to appoint a representative at every GA's office so that
the families of those working in Kuwait would not have to travel
all the way to Colombo to obtain information.
SLBFE Additional
General Manager Wijegunawardena said by Saturday morning more than
four hundred inquiries had been made by callers and visitors.
Despite the assurances and reassurances Sri Lankans here were terribly
worried about family members in Kuwait and some were even seen waiting
at the Katunayake airport.
"My mother
was to arrive on the Kuwaiti Airways flight, but they say the flight
will not come today," said P. Niranjala who was among those
waiting in hope. The turmoil and confusion affected even flights
to other areas. The Civil Aviation Chief said passengers going to
Europe or other areas could get information from officials on how
to avoid conflict zones.
SriLankan Airlines
Communications Chief Chandana de Silva on Friday said, flights to
Dubai were continuing and any evacuation from Kuwait would be considered
when the need arose. SriLankan Airlines normally had five flights
a week to Kuwait and airline sources said the suspension would be
a big financial loss.
Emirates Airline’s
Maurice Flanagan, said they were avoiding hot spots. Earlier they
were operating flights from Kuwait via Dubai to Colombo seven days
a week.
Meanwhile, IDD callers to Kuwait said they were hampered by circuits
being inaccessible. An SLT official said the lines were clogged
on Thursday and Friday.
As the war began Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told the Treasury
to allocate Rs. 50 million to finance any emergency measures for
Sri Lankans in the Guld region.
However the
main opposition People’s Alliance was not satisfied. Spokesman
Sarath Amunugama charged that the government had mismanaged the
crisis while the Ambassador in Baghdad had run away. He said the
government should have taken all measures to evacuate the Sri lankans
from Kuwait but the Ministry did not seem to have even proper figures.
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