Handunnetti lashes out at Mahindananda for remarks against returnees from Kuwait

Colombo (News 1st); Former MP Sunil Handunnetti lashed out at Former State Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage for stating the Kuwaiti government selected “people who were COVID 19 positive and sent them here on their flights.” adding the arrival of expatriates is similar to attacking the country with a bomb. Handunnetti in a letter to Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena says the Former State Minister made the remark on the 25th of May and he expresses the JVPs' dismay over the politician's comments. Quoting the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Kuwait the JVP politician said 466 Sri Lankan expatriates in Kuwait were subject to tests and only 04 of them were hospitalized based on their medical reports adding only one of them tested positive for COVID-19. He pointed out the present situation arose mainly due to the lethargic attitude adopted by the Government in repatriating Sri Lankans back to the motherland. Sunil Handunnetti said it is unacceptable to pin this crisis on the helpless Sri Lankans and the host country which provided all facilities to repatriate them back to the country. He alleged the government is making great attempts to suspend the repatriation of Sri Lankans stranded and left helpless across many countries.