Forty one Lankan workers arrive from Iraq

The 41 Sri Lankan workers who were left high and dry in Iraq after the bankruptcy of the construction company which hired them, arrived in the country on August 3.

They returned to the country from Baghdad via Dubai on board a Mihin Lanka flight. The Iraqi Government paid US$ 2,325 for the airfare for each of the workers as the company said it could neither bear the costs of the journey nor pay any compensation.

A spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry said the workers have not received salaries for up to 18 months and the Iraqi government has agreed to assist Sri Lanka claim the damages. Two officers from the Sri Lankan mission in Lebanon arrived in Baghdad to mediate their repatriation.

According to the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau the workers had entered Iraq via illegal channels, disregarding the Government's warning against seeking jobs in Iraq due to the prevailing situation there.