Nearly 401 Sri Lankan migrant workers were repatriated in 03 special flights that landed at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake last night and early this morning.

A group of 50 Sri Lankan migrant workers who were employed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were repatriated from Dubai and arrived at the BIA at 11.12 pm yesterday on flight EK- 648.

Another 275 Sri Lankan migrants who were also employed in Dubai arrived on special SriLankan Airlines flight UL 226 at the BIA at 5.40 am this morning.

The Sri Lankan migrant workers were repatriated from the UAE on special approval from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa after it was brought to his attention that many had lost their jobs and were rendered homeless due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, 76 Sri Lankan military personnel who had been deployed in various parts of Africa as part of the United Nations Peace Keeping Force were repatriated from the Addis Ababa Airport in Ethiopia on flight ET 8804 and arrived at the BIA at 5.37 am this morning.

All passengers who arrived from the UAE and Ethiopia were subjected to PCR tests at the BIA and later transferred to military –operated quarantine centres.

Homelessness in Dubai - a thread

Migrant workers are still ending up on the streets and in parks in the UAE due to their companies going bust or failing to pay them.

Charities are helping to feed them and get them into temporary accommodation but many remain in parks pic.twitter.com/7SlrjfnUds

— Ashleigh Stewart (@Ash_Stewart_) November 9, 2020