Five-thousand people who work outside Portugal attended a government organised rally on Sunday (10 August) called to encourage them to send home their urgently needed foreign currency earnings.

Remittances from migrant workers have long been a major source of foreign exchange for Portugal. And the remittances have been falling off with the continuing political uncertainty and extensive nationalisation measures decreed by Lisbon.

According to report from Lisbon the rally was also seen as a move to win support for the recently appointed radical-left-wing government among the thousand of Portuguese migrant workers if France and other European countries.

The government had declared Sunday 'emigrants day' and announced that the country's President, General Francisco Costa Comes would attend. But the President Cancelled his appearance without explanation.

SYNOPSIS: The Lisbon Sports Stadium where five-thousand Portuguese migrant workers were urged, in a government organised rally, to send home their urgently needed foreign currency earnings.

Remittances from the migrant workers have long been a major source of foreign exchange for Portugal. And they have been falling off with the continuing political uncertainty and extensive nationalisation plans decreed by Lisbon.

According to reports from Lisbon, the rally was also regarded as an attempt to win support for the radical-left-wing government from the Portuguese workers in France and other European countries.

The Portuguese Government has claimed that another reason for the fall in foreign currency earnings is that banks in France and else-where are offering migrant workers higher interest rates.

In an effort to attract the migrant workers support, the government recalled the coup that overthrew the previous dictatorship by showering the crowd with red carnations to symbolise the 'Revolution of the Flowers'.