Six Sri Lankans, who were victims of the human trafficking stranded in Myanmar have been handed over to the Sri Lanka Embassy in Yangon for repatriation, the Foreign Ministry of Sri Lanka states.

They have been repatriated following representations made by the Government of Sri Lanka to Myanmar authorities and after being rescued by the Myanmar authorities, a media release by the MFA states.

The six Sri Lankans were identified as victims of an organized trafficking ring operating in Southeast Asian countries. They were successfully repatriated to Colombo via Bangkok by the Sri Lankan Airlines flight on May 25. Under instructions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Janaka Bandara and the officials of the Sri Lankan Embassy in Yangon coordinated the rescue process and repatriation of the victims to Sri Lanka. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Eden Myanmar Foundation facilitated and extended assistance in the repatriation.