Sri Lanka plans to repatriate remains of 84 Iranian sailors

Sri Lanka Announces Plans for Repatriation of Rescued Sailors

The Foreign Ministry of Sri Lanka has confirmed that 32 sailors who were rescued from the sinking of an Iranian frigate will remain on the island nation. The announcement was made by a spokesman, Thushara Rodrigo, who stated that the sailors would not be repatriated to Iran.

According to Rodrigo, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had been contacted regarding the injured sailors, but they were not involved in the decision-making process for their care. The ICRC will continue to provide assistance to the rescued sailors as needed.

Sri Lanka is currently hosting a total of 251 Iranian sailors, including those who survived the sinking of the IRIS Dena on March 4. A second Iranian warship, IRIS Bushehr, was allowed into Sri Lankan waters after the incident and is being held at a designated camp while its crew undergoes treatment.

The Foreign Ministry has stated that it will provide safe harbour for the IRIS Bushehr and its crew of 219, in accordance with Colombo’s treaty obligations. However, discussions on repatriating the crew have not yet begun.

In addition to the sailors rescued from Dena, a third Iranian ship passed Sri Lanka and entered safe harbour in India’s southern port of Kochi, where its crew is being held by Indian authorities. The Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Sri Lanka will provide shelter to the Iranian sailors due to humanitarian considerations.

Source: Al Jazeera