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Ali Sabry has raised issue of illegal detention of Lankans with Myanmar govt: Foreign Ministry
The Foreign Ministry has said it is aware of the situation in Myanmar where Sri Lankan nationals have become victims of human trafficking for cybercrimes. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Myanmar have continued to seek the assistance and cooperation of the Myanmar authorities on the safe repatriation of Sri Lankan nationals who have been trafficked to Myanmar. It may be noted that this situation has been an ongoing issue since 2022.
The Foreign Ministry has said in a media statement: “As a result of the rescue and repatriation efforts spearheaded by the Consular Affairs Division of the Foreign Ministry in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Embassy in Myanmar and the Myanmar Government authorities, from time to time 32 victims were rescued in the 2022/2023 period.
“Given the grave nature of the situation, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry raised concerns on the safety of Sri Lankan nationals with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar Than Swe on the sidelines of BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Bangkok, Thailand. The Foreign Ministry officials continue to raise serious concerns on the safety of Sri Lankan nationals with the Myanmar Ambassador in Colombo and seek assistance and early intervention to secure their rescue and repatriation.
“As per the information available to the Ministry, at the moment 56 Sri Lankan nationals are being held in the Myawaddy area in Myanmar. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is taking all possible steps to liaise with Myanmar Government authorities and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to resolve this issue. The Myanmar Government has informed of difficulties in accessing that area due to the prevailing rebellious situation in the country.
“The Ministry has already taken action to inform and continuously engage with all stakeholders, including National Anti–Human Trafficking Task Force (NAHTTF), Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Human Trafficking, Smuggling Investigation and Maritime Crime Division, and the Department of Immigration & Emigration regarding this issue.
“On December 19, 2023, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Myanmar Janaka Bandara met Home Affairs Minister of Myanmar Lieutenant General Yar Pyae, and Director General Consular Affairs of the Foreign Ministry of Myanmar, U. Aung Kyaw Oo, in Nay Pyi Taw. During the meeting the Ambassador requested urgent assistance from the Myanmar Government to rescue the Sri Lankan nationals who were trafficked into the country by human smugglers.
“It is learnt that the job offers are mainly in the IT sector and Sri Lankan nationals travel to Myanmar using visit visas, instead of work visas and contracts. These workers travel to Myanmar, without registering with the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been requesting all Sri Lankan nationals, seeking job opportunities in the Southeast Asia region not to fall prey to human trafficking and criminal syndicates who offer large salaries without proper job contracts and work visas.
“The Ministry will continue to seek all possible avenues to ensure the safety and security of our nationals and seek early repatriation in consultation with the Government of Myanmar.”
A meeting between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), was held today (21) at the Presidential Secretariat.
During the discussion, Admiral Paparo extended his best wishes to President Disanayake and the new government on their planned initiatives. He also acknowledged Sri Lanka’s continued support in ensuring the security of the Indian Ocean region and maintaining a peaceful maritime environment.
Furthermore, Admiral Paparo reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to strengthening the enduring bilateral ties between the two nations and expressed support for Sri Lanka’s new governmental policies.
President Disanayake conveyed his appreciation for the assistance provided by the United States in enhancing human resources within Sri Lanka’s defence sector. The President also acknowledged the longstanding support extended by the U.S. in this regard.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung, Lieutenant Colonel Anthony C. Nelson of the U.S. Army, and Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the United States Indo-Pacific Command David Ranz were also present at the meeting.
SriLankan Airlines has announced that SriLankan Airlines flights UL 503 (Colombo to London Heathrow), scheduled to depart at 12:50 hrs and UL 504 (London Heathrow to Colombo), scheduled to depart at 20:40 hrs today [21 March 2025], have been cancelled.
Passengers requiring assistance are encouraged to contact the SriLankan Airlines Customer Centre at 1979 (within Sri Lanka), +94117 77 1979 (international) or +94744 44 1979 (WhatsApp chat) or reach out to their nearest SriLankan Airlines office or their travel agent.
The United Kingdom’s Heathrow airport has closed until midnight on Friday due to a power outage, throwing the plans of tens of thousands of travellers into chaos.
London’s main airport, which is Europe’s busiest gateway, said on Friday that it had suffered a “significant” power failure due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the facility.
“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March,” Heathrow airport said in a post on X.
“Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information. We apologise for the inconvenience.”
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said the shutdown would affect “at least” 1,351 flights.
“We’re trying to stop passengers from travelling to the airport, and then work with airline partners on flights that are delayed, diverted, or cancelled,” a Heathrow spokesperson told Al Jazeera. “Passengers can reach out to airline partners to work on rebooking.”
Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull, reporting from London, said the roads leading to the airport were blocked, causing “traffic chaos locally”.
“But local traffic disruption is nothing compared to the air traffic disruptions that will be spreading around the world,” he said.
Heathrow is one of the most globally connected airports and regularly ranks among the top five busiest gateways worldwide.
The airport serves more than 200 destinations in nearly 90 different countries and territories, and last year handled nearly 84 million passengers, the largest number on record.
[Aljazeera]
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