IOM Accelerates Evacuation of Foreign Nationals
IOM's evacuation of foreign nationals from Beirut to Syria resumed
this weekend with operations staff expecting to move over 750
people a day through Friday unless security deteriorates further.
The evacuees, who will include Filipinos, Sri Lankans, Ethiopians,
Bangladeshis and Nepalis, will follow over 4,300 foreign nationals
already evacuated from Beirut and returned to their home countries
on IOM charter and commercial flights from Damascus since July
20th.
IOM evacuation convoys for foreign nationals, which are funded by
the European Union and the United States, were briefly suspended on
Friday following bombing of roads to the Syrian border.
Convoys travelling the 3-hour journey to the border from Beirut
restarted on Saturday with 22 buses carrying 716 evacuees from the
Philippines. A further 252 Sri Lankans travelled on Sunday.
Many of the evacuees were low paid, female domestic workers, some
of whom have no travel documents and very little money, according
to IOM spokesman Jean Philippe Chauzy, who saw off the convoy.
“There are several hundred women camped out in the compound
of the Sri Lankan embassy in Beirut waiting for the next convoy.
The embassy is completing their exit paperwork as fast as they can,
and the mood is very supportive, but for many who have been in
Lebanon for years and may not have been paid, the prospect of
returning home with nothing is very sad,” he observes.
IOM and its partners provide evacuees with shelter, food and
medical care during the 48 hours that they are permitted to remain
in Syria before flying home.
For further information, please contact:
Jean Philippe Chauzy in Lebanon
Tel: + 41 79 285 4366
Jemini Pandya in Geneva
Tel: + 41 22 717 9486 or + 41 79 217 3374
E-mail:
"mailto:jpandya@iom.int" target="_blank" title=
"">jpandya@iom.int
Chris Lom in Geneva
Tel. +41.22.717.9361 or +66.19275215
E-mail:
"mailto:clom@iom.int">mailto:clom@iom.int
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