In a significant milestone, 32 Sri Lankan prisoners arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) today under a prisoner exchange agreement signed between Sri Lanka and Kuwait in 2007. This marks the first-ever implementation of the agreement.
The prisoners, who were serving sentences for drug-related offenses in Kuwait’s Central Jail, were transported on a special Kuwaiti Air Force flight. Their repatriation was facilitated by Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Kuwait, Kandeepan Balasubramaniam, following months of diplomatic negotiations.
These individuals had been convicted on charges of drug use, trading, smuggling, and transportation by Kuwaiti authorities. Ambassador Balasubramaniam, who had been working since March to secure their return, arranged for their transportation aboard a C-17 aircraft, the largest in the Kuwaiti Air Force fleet.
Interestingly, under the same agreement, there are no Kuwaiti nationals serving prison sentences in Sri Lanka.
In the early hours of November 25, Ambassador Balasubramaniam personally visited Kuwait City Air Force Base to oversee the prisoners’ departure. The special flight took off at 7:06 a.m. local time and landed at BIA at 2:30 p.m.
The prisoners, escorted in handcuffs by Kuwaiti security officials and accompanied by medical staff, were received by Sri Lankan Prisons Department officials upon arrival. They were then transported to Welikada Prison in Colombo under heavy security.
The Kuwaiti Air Force flight, KAF-3223, is scheduled to depart from BIA tomorrow, carrying back the Kuwaiti delegation involved in the mission.
This repatriation marks a significant step in the implementation of international agreements between the two nations and provides a glimmer of hope for future diplomatic cooperation.