34 Pinoys flee Georgia, take refuge in Turkey

MARK JOSEPH UBALDE, GMANews.TV

MANILA, Philippines - About 34 Filipino construction workers arrived safely in Istanbul, Turkey on Wednesday after fleeing conflicts in Georgia, an official from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

DFA spokesperson Claro Cristobal told GMANews.TV in a text message on Thursday that the Filipinos working for Anel Construction Company in Tbilisi, capital city of Georgia, are taking refuge in the Philippine Embassy in Turkey.

Meanwhile, 22 other Filipinos - 20 of whom work for ICTSI, a port company - returned to Batumi, Georgia a day after they were evacuated to Trabzon, Turkey on Tuesday.

"Members of the group who are due for vacation will be processed for onward travel to Manila (while) the rest will stay in Istanbul until situation in Tbilisi improves," Cristobal said.

Esteban Conejos Jr, DFA undersecretary for migrant workers affairs, told reporters on Monday that 33 Filipino workers from Tbilisi were transferred to Azerbaijan, the largest and most populous country in the South Caucasus, located in Eastern Europe and partially in Western Asia.

He said evacuation centers were being set up in Turkey in case Georgia's conflict with Russia further escalates and affects more migrant workers.

Georgia was recently invaded by Russian forces due to the conflict over Ossetia.

The southern portion of Ossetia is part of Georgia but is controlled by the secessionist Republic of South Ossetia, which is backed by Russia. The northern portion or the Republic of the North Ossetia-Alania is within the Russian Federation. At least 1,500 have so far died in the on-going Russian-Georgian conflict, according to news reports. - GMANews.TV

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