Saved on the seas, refugee gives birth in UAE

A Sri Lankan refugee who was rescued along with 44 other compatriots by the UAE from a sinking vessel has given birth to a baby in the emirate.

A statement from the UAE's Assistant Foreign Minister for International Organisations Dr Saeed Al Shamsi said: "On 14 October 2012 the ship 'Pinnacle Bliss' rescued a group of 45 Sri Lankan nationals from a sinking vessel and  transferred them to Jebel Ali port in Dubai.

"The UAE facilitated the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to meet  these persons, all of whom requested political asylum. The UNHCR recognised 38 of them as refugees; the seven others were denied this status and have subsequently been voluntarily repatriated by the UNHCR and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM)."

The UAE has provided accommodation, sustenance and health care to the evacuees, one of whom gave birth during this time.

Of the 39 individuals, 20 have since been resettled or are in the process of being resettled in a third country by the UNHCR. For the 19 who remain in the UAE, the UNHCR is seeking to secure resettlement offers by other countries or arrange a secure return to their home country. While the UAE and the UNHCR are working closely together to find a solution, the UAE will continue to provide them with shelter.

The UAE has a long history of cooperation with the UNHCR. The High Commissioner visited the UAE at the end of March 2013. The UAE also serves as one of the main hubs for the UNHCR’s disaster relief programme, as the organisation has based its largest global emergency stockpile in Dubai’s International Humanitarian City since 2006.

The UAE offers strong response to humanitarian disasters worldwide and continues to play an active and responsible role in the international community in situations of refugee crises."

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