Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed no Maldivians in neighbouring Sri Lanka have requested assistance following the unrest in the country.
Speaking to PSM News regarding the current situation of Maldivians in Sri Lanka, the foreign ministry said no Maldivians have sought any sort of assistance through the High Commission of the Maldives in Sri Lanka. The ministry assured the situation is being closely monitored, adding some Maldivians in Sri Lanka have moved back to the Maldives in the past weeks.
The South Asian nation of 22 million people has struggled to pay for essential imports after a steep drop in foreign exchange reserves in two years led to a currency devaluation and soaring inflation. It is experiencing prolonged power cuts and fuel and medicines shortages, leading to countrywide protests.
Sri Lanka, which has USD51 billion of external credit, has asked some creditors to restructure its debt and also approached China, Japan, and the Asian Development Bank amongst others for help.