New Delhi: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Sunday sought the immediate intervention of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in bringing back Keralites stranded in three different countries, including strife-torn Yemen.
According to sources close to the Chief Minister, Chandy spoke to Swaraj over the phone on Sunday evening and discussed the issue.
"Over 200 Keralites are stranded in Yemen. The Chief Minister sought the External Affairs Minister's intervention to initiate immediate steps for their safe return, in the wake of the Indian embassy being shut down in Yemen," sources said.
The Indian embassy has been shut down in Yemen and is now operating from Djibouti. People who plan to return are finding it difficult to do so as the conflict has intensified in Yemen.
Swaraj, sources said, explained about the ground situation and said that the Centre would extend all the necessary steps for their return.
Chandy also drew Swaraj's attention to the plight of four Malayalis, who were taken to Congo for employment without proper work permits and were struggling there, after their tourist visas got expired, sources said.
Besides, the Kerala Chief Minister raised the issue of four other Keralites, stuck in an another west African nation and urged the Ministry of External Affairs to look into it.
