Addressing the parliament meeting, Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal said almost all Nepali nationals have been brought home at government expense with the remaining few due to arrive in Kathmandu by Monday. [break]
The prime minister said the prompt and safe evacuation became possible as a taskforce comprising representatives from Office of Prime Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Labor and Transport and other concerned government bodies worked round the clock after anti-government protests in Libya turned nasty.
According to Deputy of Chief of Protocol Dhan Bahadur Oli, who coordinated rescue efforts with Nepali missions abroad as well as with international humanitarian and foreign employment agencies, altogether 1,709 Nepalis who were working in Libya have been brought home. On Sunday, 42 stranded in Misrata and 73 others in Tunisia arrived in Kathmandu. Likewise, 10 other Nepalis stranded in Egypt´s Alexandria after fleeing Libya are due to arrive in Kathmandu by Monday.
The prime minister informed the parliament that the reports with government indicate there are only five Nepalis now in Libya. “Foreign Ministry is actively scouting for other Nepalis who might have remained untraceable so far,” he added.
The prime minister also thanked India, China and other countries and international organizations, human rights bodies, civil society, media and foreign employment agencies for their support during the crisis.
The prime minister also mentioned that rescuing Nepali nationals, working in various countries, in case of emergencies poses difficulty due to the lack of details about them and the companies they work for.
He said that Ministry of Labor and Transport, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and concerned Nepali diplomatic missions abroad have been directed to maintain updated records of all Nepali nationals in foreign countries to ensure their prompt rescue in the event of an emergency similar to Libya.
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