The operation to bring home 1,065 Sri Lankan students based in the South Asian region, over 10 days, concluded with the arrival of UL 1188 carrying 125 Sri Lankan students from Kolkata on Thursday.
Nine SriLankan Airlines flights were used from April 21 to destinations in India (Punjab, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Bangalore, New Delhi and Kolkata) Pakistan (Karachi and Lahore), Nepal (Kathmandu) and Bangladesh (Dhaka), to repatriate the Sri Lankan students who had expressed their desire to return to Sri Lanka in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Those repatriated included public and military officials who had completed study and training programs abroad. The returnees are undergoing mandatory quarantine at facilities maintained by the Government.
Following an analysis of data on the most vulnerable overseas Sri Lankans wishing to return and the recommendation of the Ministry of Foreign Relations, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa instructed on April 14 that students stranded in South Asia be the first category to be repatriated. The Ministry in close collaboration with the Sri Lanka Missions in South Asia, the Presidential Secretariat, the Covid-19 Task Force and the Sri Lankan Airlines and with the assistance of the foreign governments ensured the safe return of the students station in many cities in the region.
Sri Lanka Missions and Consulates General in South Asia collected data of the students. The South Asia and SAARC Division of the Ministry of Foreign Relations headed by Director General Aruni Ranaraja coordinated the process with the Missions. A plan for each destination, outlined in consultation with the Presidential Secretariat and the Presidential Task Force was executed including categorisation and group formation.
The first repatriation on April 21, from Pakistan coordinated by the Sri Lanka High Commission in Islamabad led by Acting High Commissioner U.L. Niyas together with the Sri Lanka Consulate General in Karachi headed by G.L. Gnanatheva brought down 106 persons, who were at 12 academic and training institutes in Pakistan.
The repatriation processes from India coordinated by Sri Lanka High Commission in New Delhi, headed by Acting High Commissioner Niluka Kadurugamuwa involved three flights, from Amritsar, New Delhi and Kolkata, and brought in 369 Students from Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi (NCR), Odisha, West Bengal, Assam and Chhattisgarh.
The Western Indian region repatriation was coordinated by the Sri Lanka Consulate General in Mumbai headed by Consul General Chamari Rodrigo and brought 164 persons from academic and training institutes in 15 cities in five States of Maharashtra, Gujrat, Goa, Madhya Paradesh and Karnataka.
The Sri Lanka Deputy High Commission in Chennai headed by Deputy High Commissioner Vadivel Krishnamoorthy undertook the task to repatriate students in two batches departing from Coimbatore on April 26 and from Bangalore on April 28, carrying 113 and 164 students. The students were at Institutes in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andra Pradesh and Telangana.
The Sri Lanka Embassy in Kathmandu headed by Ambassador Himalee Arunatilaka repatriated 76 students from Kathmandu and Pokhara. The SriLankan Airlines undertook the repatriation flight on April 24 to Kathmandu.
Seventy three students from Dhaka, Chittagong, Comilla, Savar and Sylhet in Bangladesh were repatriated on April 28 by the SriLankan Airlines. The Sri Lanka High Commission in Dhaka headed by Acting High Commissioner Sameera Dayasekara spearheaded the repatriation.