FOURTEEN Burmese nationals who are stranded in Bahrain either with no jobs or money have appealed for help to return home.
The group, which includes a two-year-old boy and an elderly woman, is made up of individuals who were mainly employed in supermarkets and restaurants.
Some of them resigned due to non-payment of wages, while others lost their jobs due to the impact of Covid-19 on businesses.
“We want to go back to Myanmar as we are all without jobs or salaries since March,” a woman told the GDN on condition of anonymity.
“Some of us resigned in March as we were not paid and there was no business.
“We have been hoping to go home but we are stuck here with no flights and no money or jobs.
“We don’t know what to do,” she said, adding that the diplomats had expressed their helplessness in the matter.
There are fewer than 100 Burmese nationals in Bahrain and they have no embassy or consulate here, with their consular affairs being managed by the Myanmar Embassy in Riyadh.
“When we contacted our embassy in Saudi Arabia, we were told to go to Dubai or Thailand from where our government would arrange flights.
“But we are without jobs or food, how do we arrange for money to buy the tickets? We urge our government and local authorities to help us get back home.
“We hear there is a flight from India to Myanmar on May 27. Can someone help us to reach India by then please?”
The woman said some volunteers had been giving them food.
“How long can someone keep feeding us?”
Meanwhile, Riyadh’s Myanmar Embassy second secretary Htun Htun Oo told the GDN that his government was trying its best to help all its citizens stranded abroad due to Covid-19.
“We are aware of these 14 people in Bahrain and we are trying our best to help them,” he said over the telephone.
“But as there are no flights, this is delaying the process.
“Moreover, we may need at least 100 people to charter a flight which will be from Dubai; people from anywhere can fly to Dubai as airports are open there.
“We have asked these 14 people also to try to reach Dubai from where they can be flown home.”
However, the diplomat said it would not be practical to help these people financially, highlighting that it was also the individual’s responsibility to support themselves.
“Most of them are owed salaries for three months; we urge their employers to be kind enough and we also seek Bahraini authorities’ support in helping them fly out to Dubai or Thailand so that they could be on the next flight to Myanmar.
“We cannot help them financially, unfortunately, and we would suggest that they also seek help from their families in Myanmar for the time being.”
None of the Burmese nationals in Bahrain has tested positive for Covid-19.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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