brand logo

Lankans in Romania embark on perilous exodus

27 Sep 2022

  • Seek greener pastures in EU via trucks, minibuses  
BY Dinitha Rathnayake    An increasing trend of Sri Lankans in Romania attempting to leave the country via semi-trailer trucks, by paying the drivers, has come to light. Speaking to The Morning’s investigation team, several Sri Lankans said that they had paid EUR 3,500-5,000 to truck drivers to leave the Romanian border in order to go to other European countries, especially Italy and France. “We know that this is risky, but we have to earn more money. We only get EUR 5-8 per hour in Romania, and it’s not enough. Somehow, we want to reach a country in Europe where we know that we could make our lives better,” they said. When examining the trends of labour migration from Sri Lanka, Romania has seen a favourable response, and a lot of Sri Lankans are trying to migrate due to the current economic crisis. But, there is a risk of losing job opportunities in Romania due to illegal migration. Recently, Romania found 16 Sri Lankans among 38 migrants hidden in a semi-trailer truck at the Western border of Romania while attempting to leave the country. Agerpres reported that 38 migrants from Turkey, Syria, Sri Lanka, and Iraq were discovered while seeking to leave the country illegally, hidden in a semi-trailer truck and two minibuses driven by Romanians, when checked at the Nadlac II Border Crossing Point. The minibuses, registered in Romania, were driven by two men aged 33 and 42 years, respectively, and during the border checks, migrants were found hiding in specially arranged spaces between the cargo compartment and the rear seat of the passenger compartment intended for people.  “Inside the two compartments there were 16 citizens from Sri Lanka, aged between 22 and 51 years, who had entered the country legally on the basis of personal documents. A few minutes later, at the same border crossing, a Romanian citizen behind the wheel of a car registered in Italy, accompanied by a citizen of Sri Lanka, presented himself for the formalities in order to leave the country. Based on the risk analysis, the physical control of the car was carried out, and the luggage and identity documents of the persons hidden in the said compartments were found inside,” informed the Arad Border Police. Attempts to reach the officials of the Foreign Employment Bureau and the Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara proved futile.  


More News..