Bangladesh (see also UAE, India)
Remittances reach $350 million in July
Remittances this July amounted to $349.77 million, posting a 22.01 percent increase over the amount recorded in July 2004. According to sources from the Central Bank, Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserve, as of 6 August, reached $2.82 billion due to the vigorous growth of remittances from overseas Bangladeshi workers. At present, banks in Bangladesh are receiving remittances through various 322 drawing arrangements worldwide. The Bangladesh Bank (BB) has taken several measures to encourage overseas Bangladeshis to remit their money through legal banking channels.
Manpower export declines
The country’s manpower export in the first seven months of the year totaled 135,964, 17.88 percent lower than the 165,244 recorded in the same period in 2004. Reasons for the fall include some countries’ reluctance to employ foreign workers, the involvement of expatriate Bangladeshi workers in militant trade unionism and government restrictions on undocumented workers. The decline was most visible throughout the last four months. The country’s remittance earnings, however, have increased by 22.01 during the first seven months of this year, reaching $24.20 billion as compared to the $20.58 billion remitted during the same period in 2004. This can be attributed to hiring of more skilled and professional Bangladeshi workers overseas.
Maldives to hire Bangladeshi skilled workers
After meeting with Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Maldives High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dr. Mohamed Asim, announced that Maldives is preparing to recruit workers, particularly engineers, teachers and physicians from Bangladesh. An estimated 10,000 skilled and unskilled Bangladeshis are already employed in the Maldives.
JITCO to train Bangladeshi workers
A three-member team from Japan International Training Cooperation Organization (JITCO) arrived in Dhaka on 4 August for negotiations about the training of Bangladeshi industrial workers. Japan and Bangladesh signed an agreement during the latest trip of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia to Japan. Under the accord, Japan will hire Bangladeshi workers for roughly 60 types of technical jobs in private and public sector enterprises and provide them the necessary training to upgrade their skills. JITCO representatives will confer with officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment on the mechanism for the recruitment of workers. The Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industries and the Bangladesh Manpower Export and Training will be responsible for the preliminary selection of workers for the program.
11,000 Bangladeshi deportees arrive home in last 3 months
According to officials and manpower exporters, Bangladesh seems to be trailing in the overseas manpower market due to its lax system, diplomatic incompetence and lack of agenda to search for other destinations. In the past three-and-a-half months, as many as 11,000 overstaying Bangladeshi workers have been sent home from 14 countries, largely in the Middle East. Around 9,571 deportees arrived between 15 April and 15 July, from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. Since then, roughly 1,500 more Bangladeshis have been deported from various countries.
Repatriation of child camel jockeys continues
Thirty-five child jockeys were recently brought home from the UAE by the Bangladeshi government. With UNICEF’s support, another 170 child jockeys are expected to return home later this year. The children are temporarily being cared for at a Dhaka shelter managed by the Bangladesh National Women Lawyer’s Association before being sent home to their families. Last July, the UAE government prohibited the use of children below 18 years old in camel races, in response to international pressure.
Indigenous teenage girl saved from traffickers
An indigenous teenage girl Panneen Marma, 17, who was reportly abducted last month, was recovered by the police from a female trafficker at Amtolly village in Chirirbandar upazila. The police caught the female trafficker while she was about to smuggle Panneen to India.
Indian workers sent home, languishing in jails
Nine Indian workers were deported to India on 10 August after serving their prison terms in the Comilla Central Jail. The Indian workers were sent back through Bibirbazar border check-post. The Special Security Force (SSF) had apprehended the nine undocumented Indian workers on 12 March while they were putting up the stage for a public rally at Laksam, which Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia was scheduled to address. The appearance of the Prime Minister was later cancelled for security reasons. A magistrate court penalized each of the workers Taka 200 for their unauthorized entry into Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, ten Indian nationals are still detained in Rangamati and Khagrachhari jails, even after serving their jail terms, because of lack of clearance from their government. The Home Ministry allegedly sent a letter several months ago to the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh to work on the prisoners’ release. So far, no action has been taken on the matter. Six Indians are being held in Khagrachhari and four in Rangamati jails. The Indians were penalized mainly for unauthorized entry into Bangladesh.
At an Indo-Bangladeshi dialogue held in Dhaka, Indian External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh said that the alleged irregular immigration of Bangladeshis into India was a serious matter that needs to be addressed through proper border management. The minister urged Bangladesh to resume boundary talks with India. Singh also called on Bangladesh to take the necessary steps to counter terrorism and religious fundamentalism. Meanwhile, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Morshed Khan, in response to Singh’s statements, said that the entry of regular and irregular Indian migrant workers into Bangladesh was also taking place, citing the many Indian shops, restaurants and offices operating in the country. Khan asserted that Bangladesh does not tolerate international terrorism and was against blind fundamentalism in any religion. He described Singh’s three-day visit as fruitful, adding that the government believes in dialogue for finding solutions to problems.
Stranded Pakistanis demand immediate repatriation
The stranded Pakistanis, commonly known as Biharis, submitted a memorandum to the Pakistani mission in Dhaka asking for their immediate repatriation to their motherland as Pakistan observed its independence day on 14 August. Several thousands of Urdu-speaking people have allegedly planned to march towards the Pakistani High Commission. After negotiations with the Mohammadpur and Palabi police, the protesters agreed to let a twelve-member team submit their memo to the Pakistani mission. Nearly 250,000 Biharis have been living in different camps in Bangladesh for over three decades with the support of Relief and Disaster Management Ministry of Bangladesh. The UNHCR chief in Bangladesh, Christopher BC Lee, urged the Bangladeshi government to resolve the problem of the stranded Pakistanis. According to Lee, the UN and donor agencies are ready to provide the necessary assistance for the rehabilitation and repatriation of the stranded Pakistanis.
Sources: Rafiq Hasan, “Training-Japan team due Aug. 4," The Daily Star, 1 August 2005; Monirul Alam, “10 Indians in CHT not freed after serving jail terms," The Daily Star, 2 August 2005; “UN to take initiative to solve problems of stranded Pakistanis," BD News, 2 August 2005; Nazrul Islam, “11,000 Bangladeshi workers deported in over three months," New Age, 4 August 2005; “Teen rescued from traffickers," The Daily Star, 6 August 2005; “Expatriates send $350m as remittances in July," The Financial Express, 7 August 2005; “9 Indian workers held in Comilla to be deported Aug 10," bangladesh-web.com, August 2005; “Natwar terms illegal immigration ‘serious’- Morshed expresses frustration for failing to resolve issues," bangladesh-web.com, 8 August 2005; Agencies, “Many Indians working here legally and illegally: Morshed," The Independent, 9 August 2005; Imran Rahman, “Maldives to recruit Bangladeshi workers," Arab News, 10 August 2005; “9 Indians held in Laksam deported," The Independent, 11 August 2005; Asif Showcat, “Manpower export declines fast-Demand for skilled workers abroad go up," The News Today, 12 August 2005; “Dhaka rescues child jockeys," Gulf Daily News, 12 August 2005; “Biharis demand repatriation, submit memo to Pak HC," The Daily Star, 15 August 2005