Over 4,400 Vietnamese workers return from Libya

Vietnamese workers from Libya welcomed by their relatives (Source: VNA)

More than 4,400 Vietnamese workers in Libya had returned home safely by 18:15 hrs on March 4, said an official from the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA)

According to Nguyen Xuan Tao, Deputy Head of the Labour Management Desk of MoLISA’s Overseas Labour Management Department, on March 4 alone nearly 1,410 people returned from the unrest-ravaged country on flights from Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey and Malta.

Another flight carrying over 200 labourers from Turkey ’s capital city of Istanbul was expected to arrive in Vietnam at 23:15 hrs on the same day, he said.

At 8am on March 4, the third aircraft of the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines took off from Noi Bai International Airport en route to Djerba , Tunisia , to collect Vietnamese migrant workers.

Attempts to bring Vietnamese labourers home from Libya continue to be strengthened with efforts made by the Overseas Labour Management Department and businesses, together with support from the International Organisation of Migration (IOM), Vietnamese Embassies in Libya ’s neighbouring countries and relevant agencies.

Nguyen Quoc Nam, an official of the IOM in Hanoi, said that together with providing accommodation, food and medicine, IOM offices in Egypt, Malta, Greece, Turkey and the organisation’s head office in Geneva, Switzerland, have actively worked with relevant Vietnamese agencies and working delegations to take Vietnamese workers back home.

To date, IOM has helped 99 Vietnamese workers arrive home on four flights, he said, adding that on March 5, other 50-60 workers were expected to return home on flights arranged by the organisation.

At present, IOM offices and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are assessing the possibility of establishing a safe corridor to allow foreign labourers in Libya , including Vietnamese, to move through borders to nearby countries.

IOM has also called on its member countries and the international community to raise funds to bring guest workers home safely from Libya. /.