The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment has assured that Sri Lankans employed in Bangladesh are safe amidst the deadly protests in the country.
The SLBFE confirmed no Sri Lankan workers have been affected.
It added that authorities will continue to closely monitor the conditions of nearly 3,000 Sri Lankans working there.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told News 1st it is paying special attention to the safety of Sri Lankan students in Bangladeshi universities.
The MFA said that as of now, over 50 students are pursuing higher education in three universities in Bangladesh.
The Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Bangladesh has already contacted the students and their parents, providing them with safety instructions.
Additionally, the three universities have been requested to pay special attention to the students’ safety and welfare.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that no Sri Lankan students in Bangladesh are reported to have been affected by the ongoing wave of protests.
Police has imposed a strict curfew with a “shoot-on-sight” order across Bangladesh as military forces patrolled parts of the capital yesterday after scores were killed and hundreds injured in clashes over the allocation of civil service jobs.
The curfew began at midnight and was relaxed from noon to 2 PM for people to run essential errands, and is expected to last until 10 AM today, allowing officers to fire on mobs in extreme cases.
The demonstrations, called for mainly by student groups, started weeks ago to protest a quota system that reserves up to 30% of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971.
Foreign media reported that this week’s violence has killed at least 133 people so far.
News 1st
