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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Aanya Wipulasena in Colombo

‘I must stay strong’: hardship for workers fleeing Sri Lanka’s broken economy

Long queues at the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Battaramulla, Sri Lanka.
Long queues at the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Battaramulla, Sri Lanka. Photograph: Aanya Wipulasena

Suvendra Mary has not changed her clothes, nor has she had a decent meal in five days.

Last week, she and six other women boarded a bus from their home town, Badulla, about 350km from Colombo, and arrived at the department of immigration and emigration in hope of applying for their passports. Since then, the women have been sitting in a queue of at least a thousand others dreaming of leaving Sri Lanka.

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