Fathima Laroofa was among the first to come out to the waiting area
at the Katunayake international airport. Visibly exhausted from the
long journey, the 36-year-old mother of four, smiled wearily at the
motley group of media representatives present there.

Reporters and cameramen had been waiting since the wee hours of
the morning with much anticipation. This was the first group of Sri
Lankan migrant workers  assisted by IOM to return from
war-torn Lebanon.

Fathima was among 270 Sri Lankan nationals to return home that
day on an IOM-sponsored flight  from the Syrian capital
Damascus. "It was terrifying. Those were not ordinary bombs; they
were dropped by jets and landed near us frequently," she said
covering her ears. She had words of gratitude for the Sri Lankan
embassy in Beirut, saying the officials there had treated them with
kindness. "I'm also grateful to IOM for bringing us home." Fathima
was clearly glad to get away from the explosions that had
surrounded her for over a week.

Her employers were reluctant to let her go. "They told me they'd
paid an agent USD 2,000 to find me and that I'd first have to give
them that money before I could be paid for my work," she said,
sobbing. A kind-hearted taxi driver took her to the Sri Lankan
embassy in Beirut. After slaving away as domestic help for more
than a year, Fathima returned home almost empty-handed. Gone were
her dreams of saving money to lead a comfortable life when she
returned to Sri Lanka. The war and  her employers have put
paid to those hopes.

Worse still, her 21-year-old daughter,who was also employed with
a family in Beirut, is still missing. "I pray to Allah that she
returns home safely."

Later, at the Sahana Piyasa, a training-cum-reception centre run
by the Sri Lanka Bureau for Foreign Employment near the airport,
the group was able to wash and have breakfast, and receive medical
attention.

I approached a woman who stood by herself, away from her noisy
fellow-evacuees. It had clearly been a long journey for all of them
- first by bus in IOM convoys from Beirut to Damascus and
subsequently, the flight to Colombo. Sinnaodayar Anonaumma looked
rather dazed.

"I'm so happy your organization brought me back. I dread to
think of what it would be like to be stuck there in the middle of
the bombing. "But life back home isn't going to be easy. "I
divorced my husband many years ago and don't really have a family
to go back to," she told me. "I have no house, no belongings." Her
employers didn't let her carry even her clothes. "I only have a few
things," she said pointing to a couple of torn plastic bags
standing against a pillar near her. "They didn't give me any money.
My employers owe me over a year's salary," she said with tears in
her eyes.

Not all returnees were unhappy with their employers though.
Ammavasy Puweneshwary and Muniyandy Maheswari had worked in Beirut
for four and eight years respectively. They came to IOM's Colombo
office seeking assistance a couple of days after their arrival.

"Our employers were quite nice. I worked with the same family
for about eight years.  They gave me a day off each week and
paid me regularly," 33-year-old Maheswari said. "But I do know some
others aren't that lucky. They are not fed properly, are deprived
of basic facilities, and are not even allowed to go out of the
house."

The two women don't plan to return to Lebanon, they have decided
to stay here and look after their children instead. "I wish I'd
been able to stay there long enough to save enough to build a
house," Maheswari said wistfully.

Still, it is clear that the hundreds of people returning are
relieved to be back. Some are eager to express gratitude for the
assistance they've received. "IOM officials were very kind to us
throughout our journey from Beirut. They provided food and took
care of us," said Nilusha, who's in her mid-20s, echoing the
sentiments of many of the returnees.

Since 20 July, IOM has evacuated about 1200 Sri Lankans living
in Lebanon, providing them also with medical, shelter and
repatriation assistance with funds donated by the European
Commission and the US government. More evacuations are taking place
this week.

B. Ranjitha

Media & Public Information Officer

IOM Sri Lanka

24, Police Park Avenue, Colombo 5.

Phone: +94 11 533 3432

Mobile: +94 773597349

Email: "mailto:ranjithab@iomsrilanka.org" target="" title=
"">ranjithab@iomsrilanka.org