By Sarah Hannan

A total of 19,000 Sri Lankan migrant workers have already been repatriated, and another 50,000 more are expected to return to Sri Lanka under the repatriation programme carried out by the Government of Sri Lanka. Speaking to The Morning, President for Foreign Relations Additional Secretary Admiral Jayanath Colombage noted: “As of 11 August, we have repatriated Sri Lankan migrant workers from 93 countries, with over 50,000 more registered to return to the country given the present global health emergency caused by Covid-19 and the looming financial crisis that many countries have projected, forcing many of these migrant workers out of their work.” The repatriation process was temporarily halted with the country preparing for the general election on 30 July and recommenced after a week’s lapse on 8 August. Admiral Colombage, when inquired whether there were any restrictions for specific countries in repatriating Sri Lankans who were stranded due to the loss of their jobs, refuted the speculations, noting that the Government of Sri Lanka will continue to operate flights and make necessary arrangements to bring back all who are registered to return. However, the exact completion date of the repatriation process has not been decided due to logistical issues faced by Sri Lanka as well as the countries looking to send the Sri Lankan workers back to Sri Lanka.