dailyloe.com – Sri Lanka has repatriated over 200 Iranian sailors stranded in the country for more than a month. The sailors were from two Iranian naval vessels, one sunk by a US torpedo and another disabled by an engine failure. Deputy Defence Minister Aruna Jayasekara confirmed the crews left on Tuesday night. They had been housed in Sri Lankan military camps after receiving 30-day visas.
The Iranian warship Iris Dena sank on March 4 about 40km from Sri Lanka’s southern coast. It was hit by a torpedo from a US submarine, killing 104 sailors. The vessel had been returning from a military exercise hosted by India. Video released by the US Department of Defense showed the ship being struck and exploding.
On March 5, Sri Lanka took control of another Iranian vessel, the Irins Bushehr. It requested to dock at a Sri Lankan port after an engine malfunctioned. The country allowed it to dock at a north-eastern port after hours of discussion. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said Sri Lanka would ‘never hesitate to protect humanity’.
Deputy Defence Minister Aruna Jayasekara spoke to Reuters about the repatriation. He confirmed 32 sailors from the Iris Dena and 206 from the Irins Bushehr had left. They were flown out of the country on Tuesday night. The bodies of 84 sailors killed in the attack were previously recovered and repatriated.
About 15 Iranian sailors will remain in Sri Lanka to operate the Irins Bushehr. That vessel is anchored off Trincomalee in the island’s northeast. The sinking of the Iris Dena occurred in international waters. It happened just days into the current US-Israeli war with Iran, widening the conflict.
Iran has since launched retaliatory strikes across the Middle East. Those strikes targeted Gulf countries allied with the United States. Sri Lanka has maintained a policy of non-alignment since independence in 1948. It has strong economic and diplomatic ties with both Iran and the US.
President Dissanayake explained Sri Lanka’s position in a statement. He said their position was to safeguard neutrality while demonstrating humanitarian values. The country intervened to show commitment to international conventions. He said it protected the nation’s reputation and human lives.[]
Source: BBC
