CM Vijayan asks Loka Kerala Sabha to help expat community in Gulf amidst conflict

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 3 (PTI) In view of the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday held an online meeting with Loka Kerala Sabha members in the Gulf region regarding helping the expatriate community living there.

In a Facebook post, the CM said that in view of the crisis in the Gulf region, members of the Loka Kerala Sabha were requested to support those on transit visas, those who cannot travel urgently due to fear of attacks, the sick, and those who need medicine.

The meeting clarified that precautions given by the respective administrations must be strictly followed and that constant contact should be maintained with the Indian Embassies there, Vijayan said in his post.

He advised the members of the Loka Kerala Sabha, a platform for the cultural, socio-political and economic integration of non-resident Keralites, that only official channels of information in the Gulf region should be relied upon and no one should believe baseless news or rumours.

It was also suggested that care should be taken not to act in a way that arouses concern, the CM said, and to behave with "a sense of unity and vigilance".

Vijayan, in his post, also said that the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) has set up a helpline system to communicate with expatriates, and a control room has been established at the Delhi Kerala House.

Besides these, the date of the SSLC - Higher Secondary Examination held in the Gulf countries has been changed, the CM said.

He urged all expatriate organisations working in the Gulf region to intervene with a united spirit in the context of the war.

Vijayan said that during the meeting, some members of the Loka Kerala Sabha complained that certain media outlets were reporting news that was causing concern among relatives about the situation in the Gulf and sought government intervention on the issue.

The CM said that he requested them to ensure the safety of expatriate Keralites and that he would consider writing a letter seeking the central government's intervention on various other issues, including travel facilities.

The conflict in West Asia intensified with the US and Israel carrying out fresh attacks on Iran while Tehran continued to pound several Gulf countries in retaliation.

Iran is carrying out fresh strikes targeting Israel and American military bases in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia after the US and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday.

The US-Israeli strikes have killed at least 787 people, the Iranian Red Crescent Society said. At least 11 people were killed in Israel, according to reports. PTI HMP ADB