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STATEMENT BY H.E. GOTABAYA RAJAPAKSA, PRESIDENT OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA AT THE ONLINE SUMMIT OF THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT UNDER THE THEME ‘UNITED AGAINST COVID-19”, 4TH MAY 2020

Tuesday, 05 May 2020

( Sinhala ) ( English )

 

Modalities to issue temporary travel documents to undocumented workers abroad agreed on

Tuesday, 05 May 2020

Modalities to issue temporary travel documents to undocumented workers abroad following proper authentication procedures has been agreed on by the Department of Immigration and Emigration. This follows consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Relations, Ministry of Skills Development, Employment and Labour Relations and Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE).

Address by H.E. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the online summit level meeting of the Non Aligned Movement "United against COVID-19"

Sunday, 03 May 2020
The Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations is pleased to inform that H.E. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be addressing the  online Summit level meeting of the Non Aligned Movement Contact Group titled "United Against COVID-19" on Monday, 4th May 2020 at 6.15 pm. Sri Lanka time (approximately 8.45 a.m. New York time).
 
The address by the President will be live streamed and could be viewed on the following:

H.E. the President FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/gotabayar/

H.E. the President YouTube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz6MMq0s4Ih0Tjn_qcXmCQg

Repatriation of Sri Lankan Students from South Asia concludes

Thursday, 30 April 2020

With the arrival this evening (30 April) of UL 1188 carrying 125 Sri Lankan students from Kolkata, the operation to bring home 1065 Sri Lankan students based in the South Asian region, over 10 days, reached a successful conclusion.

Commencing on 21 April 2020, a total of nine (9) Sri Lankan Airlines special flights were used to destinations in India (Punjab, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Bangalore, New Delhi and Kolkata) Pakistan (Karachi and Lahore), Nepal (Kathmandu) and Bangladesh (Dhaka), to repatriate the  Sri Lankan students who had expressed their desire to return to Sri Lanka in the wake of the COVID 19 Pandemic. Those repatriated also included public and military officials who had completed study and training programmes in the respective countries and had to return to take up official duties back in Sri Lanka. Currently all returnees are undergoing mandatory quarantine at facilities afforded by the Sri Lanka Government.

Following the analysis of data on the most vulnerable Overseas Sri Lankans wishing to return and the recommendation of the Ministry of Foreign Relations, on 14 April, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa instructed that students in South Asia be the first category to be repatriated following the closure of the airport for arrivals to Sri Lanka from abroad. The Ministry in close collaboration with the Sri Lanka Missions in South Asia, the Presidential Secretariat, the Coviod 19 Task Force and the Sri Lankan Airlines, and with strong assistance of the respective foreign governments ensured the safe return of the students stationed across many cities in the region, amidst numerous challenges posed by the complexities arising out of the global Pandemic.