RIYADH: Stranded Sri Lankan workers who are roughing it under the Kandarah bridge in Jeddah refused an offer of accommodation from the Sri Lankan Consulate in Jeddah. They claim staying there will facilitate quicker deportation.
Visiting Sri Lankan Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Bhaila, who met the workers under the bridge, confirmed to Arab News on Friday that accommodation facilities had been offered to them at the consulate.
“But they rejected the offer since they feel staying under the bridge will give them an opportunity to get immigration clearance soon and they would be sent back at the expense of the Saudi government,” Bhaila said.
However, he added that as a relief measure, he had made arrangements to deliver lunch and dinner packets daily to around 260 Sri Lankans, which included 50 women, until their departure to the government deportation camp.
On instructions from Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Bhaila was in Jeddah leading a four-member team to look into the welfare of the stranded Sri Lankans. The delegation comprised officials from the Sri Lankan Employment Bureau and Ministry of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare.
Around 3,000 Asian workers, including Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Indonesians and Sri Lankans, gather under this bridge claiming they are Umrah and Haj overstayers.
The Jeddah governorate, in cooperation with the Immigration Department, deport these expatriates at its own expense to clear the backlog of stranded workers in the Kingdom. Bhaila said that none of the Sri Lankans had any valid documents to vouch for their stay in the Kingdom. “Most of these workers had run away from their sponsors and sought refuge with the reason they are Umrah overstayers,” the minister said, pointing out that officials could easily identify workers who had given their fingerprints on arrival at the airport.
“There were 30 such workers in the group,” he added. The minister explained that stranded workers under the bridge are a regular feature.
