Talks are underway between the Sri Lankan authorities and their counterparts in Saudi Arabia to bring back a group of Sri Lankan women detained at a deportation centre in the West Asian nation, Daily Mirror reported.

The plight of the Sri Lankan women were brought to light by the human rights watch body Amnesty International, which initiated a campaign for their release.

Charge d’Affairs of the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh, Madhuka Wickramarachchi said, 43 were currently being held in Tarheel Deportation Centre in Riyadh and a similar number in the Sumeshi Deportation Centre in Jeddah.

80% of them are runaways, the rest have been apprehended by the Saudi Police for engaging in begging, violating Umah visa provisions and committing petty crimes.

“Although under- reported, there are around 70 men from Sri Lanka who too are kept in the male sections of these centres and almost all of them are runaways,” he also said.

Some of the men and women have been cleared by the Saudi authorities and issued exit visas to return to Sri Lanka, but the Saudia airlines was not operating since March, 2020.

“The Embassy and the Consulate General in Jeddah, since last March was discussing with the deportation centre authorities to find alternate methods, such as, using the Sri Lankan airlines to deport these Sri Lankans in small groups. Much progress has been made in agreeing on the logistics of this operation,” Wickramarachchi said.

He exuded confidence that he first group could be repatriated by the month end.

(SAM)