The Foreign Employment Bureau says that according to latest reports the  Sri Lankans who  are stranded amidst the Yemen crisis will not be removed from their location in Yemen on Sunday, as planned.

Chairman of the Foreign Employment Bureau Attorney-at-Law Nandapala Wickramasuriya said that they are yet to receive permission to remove these Sri lankans from Yemen.

Due to the prevailing situation in the country, special permission needs to be obtained from Saudi Arabia and Yemen in order to remove foreign nationals from the country.

The Foreign Employment Bureau on Saturday noted that the 59 Sri Lankans who are caught amid the cross fire in Yemen will be evacuated to Bahrain aboard a Chinese aircraft.

The bureau noted that their attempts to obtain permission for this purpose have not yet been successful.

We contacted the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka in this regard.

Speaking to news1st Acting Chinese Ambassador Ren Faqiang too confirmed that it is essential to obtain  permission from Saudi Arabia and Yemen to remove foreign nationals from the country.

He added that the Chinese government is looking into alternative means of bringing down Sri Lankans in Yemen.

The Acting Chinese ambassador noted that he is due to receive more information in this regard on Monday. Meanwhile, the Indian Navy has been able to remove a group of Indian nationals who were stranded in Yemen.

Indian media reported that there is a Sri Lankan among the 440 persons that had reportedly been evacuated from Yemen.

According to media reports the said group has left Yemen from the Aden Port and have reached Djibouti in South Africa.

The vessel is said to be carrying 260 Indian nationals and the others are from 17 different countries.

• Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Thailand for a temporary stay
• Yuan Wang 5 will not enter Hambantota today (11), says Harbour Master; Vessel already in Sea of Sri Lanka
• Nihal Wedaarachchi arrested over 9th May violence
• Teenage boy dies after speeding car crashes with bicycle
• 35,000 MT of Petrol shipment due today (11)