Tear-gassing of Sri Lankans in Jordan condemned; Sri Lanka to resume repatriation

COLOMBO (News1st): Civic groups have condemned the tear-gassing of Sri Lankan expatriates by Jordan's police last Monday, with reports suggesting that some are yet to recover from their injuries. Jordanian police used teargas to quell tensions that arose after talks between Sri Lankan Embassy officials and Sri Lankan migrant workers to solve their problems failed. "I got hit in the chest. I could not breathe. I cannot remember what happened," one protestor said recalling the incident that unfolded at a facility in the city of Al-Karak that houses at least 500 Sri Lankans. The incident sparked protests opposite the Sri Lankan Bureau of Foreign Employment on Wednesday. "The wrongdoers should be punished. The Sri Lankan government should immediately intervene," Samanmali Gunasinghe, the Women for Rights organization secretary insisted. Parents of the victims urged authorities to bring back their children even if they have to underqo quarantine upon returning to the country, due to the coronavirus pandemic. "My daughter is stuck there. She is starving," one parent who took part in the protest complained. Sri Lanka which suspended the repatriation of citizens in mid-june amidst a second surge in coronavirus infections, will resume repatriation on Friday. A repatriation flight will operate to Dubai on July 31, the president's additional Secretary for foreign relations Admiral Jayanath Colombage said.