The other side of who leaves Lebanon

[malaise]

While the rich governments have sent ships for their citizens thousands of Asians from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, etc, the domestic helpers, are all stranded in Lebanon. It was so sad watching these poor women left at ports as their rich employers took off. I hate our planet.

[ceile]

1. Do you have a link?

I'd like to read about that. thx

[malaise]

2. Here

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/07/FE5A0D5D-B856-4F60-8E8E-7C0AA92E9F8F.html
<snip>
Undocumented Workers

There are thousands of workers, mainly domestic servants, from South and Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe in Lebanon, and many of them are now stranded.

In response to appeals for help from a number of governments, the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration (IOM) has sent a team to assess the plight of these people and devise a plan to evacuate those who want to go.

IOM spokeswoman Jemina Pandya tells RFE/RL that the governments of Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Moldova have asked the IOM to intervene on behalf of their nationals.

There are some 80,000 Sri Lankans in Lebanon alone, as well as large numbers of Filipinos, Bangladeshi, and others. Many of these people do not have proper travel documents.

Pandya says in some cases their employers have simply fled, leaving them to an uncertain fate.

"It's been a question of those domestic workers who have no means, who have no documents," Pandya said. "Some of them have been left by employers who have already departed from Lebanon, or who are in the process of leaving Lebanon."

The cost of transport out of Lebanon is rising rapidly as the crisis continues, and the IOM is talking to donor countries to cover the expense of the evacuation.