(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Acuation of Indians from the strife-torn Libya will begin on Friday with the first batch of 36 nurses from the southern state of Kerala moving to Tunisia in the morning on their way back to the country.Kottayam-based Libyan Nurses Parents Association (LNPA) secretary K Mohandas said that the 36 nurses mainly from Tripoli Medical Centre are expected to leave for Tunisia by road around 9am. He said that the nurses were being brought to Tunisia in batches.
They will be taken to India by regular flight or a chartered flight. Mohandas told the Khaleej Times that the nurses were not informed about the arrangement so far. The Indian Embassy in Libya has booked rooms for them in hotels in Tunisia.
Mohandas said his daughter working in the Tripoli Medical Centre had telephoned him in the evening and confirmed that they were ready to leave the Libyan capital. He said that reports saying that the nurses would be moved to Tunisia on Thursday were baseless.“The nurses will leave only on Friday. All the nurses have packed their belongings and are ready to move any time. They will be taken to Tunisian border which is 155 km from Tripoli by bus” said Mohandas.
The Association had met Chief Minister Oommen Chandy last week and submitted a memorandum seeking steps to ensure the safe return of all the nurses who are willing to return to the country. The Association is in touch with relatives of 309 Keralites stuck in Libya.
Although 1000 nurses from Kerala work in Tripoli and other major cities in Libya only 118 have approached the Non-resident Keralites Affairs (Norka) seeking help to return.
The others are apparently hoping that things would improve and they would be able to continue in the country.
The External Affairs ministry has issued an advisory asking Indians to leave Libya at the earliest. The government has agreed to meet their travel expenses since the employers of most of the Indians have agreed to send them back provided they bear the cost. External Affairs Minister Sushama Swaraj has directed the Indian Embassy in UAE to transfer fund from the Indian Community Welfare Fund for use by Indians in difficult circumstances in Libya.
Meanwhile Kerala Chief Minister has written to banks to write off the interests on loans availed by the nurses for their education. He also wants the banks to write off the loans in the case of people who have already paid interest exceeding the principal loan. For more news from Khaleej Times follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes and on Twitter at khaleejtimes Follow khaleejtimes -->
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