If US-Iran conflict escalates: Govt. will bring back Lankans from Iran

• Foreign Ministry is monitoring the situation closely

By Sandun A Jayasekera

If the US – Iran conflict escalates further, the government will take steps to bring back about 30 Sri Lankans living in Iran, Government Spokesman and Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said yesterday.   

Minister Rambukwella told reporters at the Information Department last morning without elaborating that the Foreign Affairs Ministry was monitoring the situation closely and would issue a statement in due course on the matter.   
In response to the Daily Mirror, Minister Rambukwella said as far as he was aware there was not a big contingent of expatriate Sri Lankans in Iran but admitted that if the situation worsened it would definitely affect Sri Lanka.   

Replying to another query, Minister Rambukwella said the Attorney General’s Department and the Foreign Affairs Ministry had made much progress in bringing back the prime suspect of the Central Bank bond scam, Arjuna Mahendran.    He added that Foreign Affairs Minister Dinesh Gunawardana had discussed the modalities to get Mahendran back to Sri Lanka from Singapore with Foreign Minister of Singapore Vivian Balakrishnan during his recent visit to Sri Lanka.