Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa

The Sri Lanka Missions in South Asia, in collaboration with the Foreign Ministry, have been closely engaging with the Sri Lankan communities overseas and are working towards assisting and facilitating the many Sri Lankan expatriates in the region in the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic. Mission wise, databases of Sri Lankan students and other expatriates are being compiled by the Missions with a view to keeping in close contact and ensuring their welfare at all times.

The Government of Sri Lanka with its recent announcement requesting all Sri Lankan expatriates to remain in their current locations until the risk of COVID-19 is minimized, has further assured that requests for return of Sri Lankans will be considered once the spread of the virus is contained in the country.

Meanwhile the Sri Lanka Missions in New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Kathmandu, Islamabad, Dhaka,  Kabul and Malé have established ‘hotlines’ and social media groups and have been networking with Sri Lankans overseas and community organizations and representatives assisting them to stay in their current locations in a safe environment, in compliance with local regulations and also to ensure that those Sri Lankans in different locations have access to food and other necessities.

Missions have also been coordinating and discussing with the respective authorities and have also intervened and sought clearances for visa extensions, as required. Certain Missions have also been liaising with local health authorities in preparing COVID-I9 awareness messages in Sinhala language for circulation of messages to the community via mobile devices. With forecasted lockdowns in certain stations, these Missions have taken necessary steps to set up sub-offices at the residences of Diplomatic Staff, to work from home and continue the services to the community.

Read more: Sri Lanka Missions in South Asia work towards ensuring safety of Sri Lankan expatriates in the region

Over 17,457 Overseas Sri Lankans (OSL) had by Saturday noon (28 March), registered on the ‘Contact Sri Lanka’ Online Portal of the Ministry of Foreign Relations. Of these, 6773 are from the Middle East region, 1892 from Europe, 1302 from South Asia, 1028 from North America and over 6000 from other parts of the world.

This portal jointly created by the Ministry of Foreign Relations and the Information & Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) for the benefit of Overseas Sri Lankans, was launched on Thursday (26 March 2020). It is hosted on the Ministry web page www.mfa.gov.lk and can also be accessed at www.contactsrilanka.mfa.gov.lk. A dedicated team of officials have been assigned by the Ministry of Foreign Relations to respond to queries.

A bulk of the 700 inquiries received through ‘Contact Sri Lanka’ so far, relate to the possibility of return to the country. However in light of the special request made by the Government yesterday (27 March) to Sri Lankan expatriates urging them to safely remain where they are now until the risk of  COVID-19 virus is minimized and the disease is contained in Sri Lanka, the Ministry has taken several measures through its Mission network to continue to facilitate and address the immediate concerns of the Overseas Sri Lankans. Other common inquiries include the welfare of student populations, extension of visa, lack of financial support for those unemployed, non-payment of salaries, closing down of commercial establishments and questions on quarantine upon arrival.

Over the past two weeks since disruptions to travel, Sri Lanka Missions abroad have been particularly vigilant and prompt in taking action towards addressing the impending issues faced, particularly by the student populations. Some of the measures put in place included ensuring that hostels remain open, that food supply/provision is maintained by the respective establishments, and that if they require medical assistance they are directed to medical facilities, wherever possible, to seek extensions of university/school payments of students. The Missions have also been directed to maintain close engagement with educational establishments with Sri Lankan students and the student community to continue to provide for their welfare.

With respect to Sri Lankan employees in the Middle East and Asia in particular, Missions will work with host governments to secure fair treatment and concessions for Sri Lankan expatriate workers to the maximum extent possible. This includes safeguarding the rights of the workers in relation to payment of salaries and ensuring job security.

As for the broader population of Sri Lankans, Missions have also been requested to liaise with Sri Lanka Associations, organizations and places of worship established by Sri Lankans, in providing assistance to those Sri Lankans facing difficulty and are in need of assistance in the face of the rapidly evolving situation.  The Missions have been requested to mobilize to provide basic sustenance and medical facilities, in full measure.

Earlier on 18 March, Sri Lanka requested foreign governments to facilitate appropriate visa extensions for Sri Lankans currently visiting their countries, in view of the control measures issued by most countries due to COVID-19. A number of states have positively responded to this request, and the Sri Lanka Missions have been asked to communicate the modalities for this process to those affected, while engaging other host Governments to work out reciprocal arrangements, as Sri Lanka extended this facility to all foreign nationals presently in Sri Lanka since mid-March.

Ministry of Foreign Relations

Colombo

28 March 2020