Maldivians in Sri Lanka are safe, Minister assures

Sri Lankan Minister for External Affairs

G.L. Peiris has given the assurance that the Maldivians residing in Sri Lanka are safe and there is no threat to them from the ongoing communal clashes between the extremist Buddhists and Muslims.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Maldivian Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon on Thursday, Minister Peiris who is accompanying the President Mahinda Rajapaksa during his official state visit, said the Maldivians residing in the country will not face any danger from the anti-Muslim riots and that the government was conscious of their safety.

He said the 9000 plus Maldivian community in Sri Lanka lived a "happy and contented" safe life far away from the conflict areas. He said that no violence have been observed from Dehiwala and Mount Lavinia - areas where most Maldivians are settled in.

"There is absolutely no problem in that area," he said, adding that the conflict was going on in a very narrow area of Sri Lanka.

Maldivian Foreign Minister speaking at the press conference in Kurumba resort said that the Maldivian government appreciated the steps taken by the Sri Lankan government to ensure the safety of the 9,400 citizens in the Maldives, Minivan News reported.

The Maldivian Minister said that the Maldivian Embassy in Sri Lanka was closely monitoring the situation on a daily basis.

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