About 250,000 Rohingya refugees fled Burma in 1991 due to government persecution but majority of them have since been repatriated to Burma under UNHCR supervision. There are, however, some 21,000 Rohingya refugees still living in two Bangladeshi camps in Kutupalong and Nayapara in the Cox’s Bazar district. These refugees refused to return to Burma for fear of persecution, imprisonment and the rape of their womenfolk. Many of them also consider Burma a foreign land, having lived in Bangladesh for most or all of their life. The UNHCR says the Rohingyas deserve a permanent home in the country where they have lived for more than 15 years and urges Bangladesh to grant them permanent asylum.
Twenty trafficking victims from the Narail district, including 13 men, three women and four children, were rescued by members of 10 Rifles Battalion on 9 June at the Barakuthighat area as they were about to be taken to India. Authorities also arrested suspected trafficker, Nazrul Islam, who admitted that he was taking the group to Mumbai.
Parliament opposition leader Sheikh Hasina met with Kuwaiti ambassador to Dhaka Abdullatif Ali Al Mawash at her Dhanmodi residence on 1 June. During the meeting Hasina, requested Kuwait to recruit more Bangladeshi workers and assist in the country’s training program to develop more skilled manpower.
During the courtesy call of newly appointed Filipino Ambassador to Bangladesh Norberto Ramos Basilio, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia sought Manila’s assistance in training Bangladeshi nurses at the Nursing Training Institutes. In turn, Basilio sought Dhaka’s support to the Philippine’s bid for an observer status in the Organization of Islamic States (OIC). Both sides also agreed to consider expanding trade and investment.
Overseas Bangladeshi workers sent home a record $496.16 million in remittances for the month of May. This amount is 59 percent higher than last year’s. The Central Bank attributed the rising remittances to its imposition of tighter controls against money laundering and its continued campaign to encourage expatriate Bangladeshis to send remittances through official banking channels. The central bank said it expects to receive a total of $4.8 billion in remittances by the end of the current fiscal year.
At an inter-ministerial meeting on a new national visa policy held at the Home Ministry on 5 June, the government decided to form a National Directorate of Registration (NDR). This move is in preparation for the Machine-Readable Passport (MRP) and the National Identity Card. The NDR will also keep data on foreigners in Bangladesh. The government is also expected to announce a new visa policy in July that would simplify the process of issuing visas to foreigners, thereby facilitating the detection of those who will be overstaying in the country.
Sources: “Hasina urges Kuwait to take more workers," The Daily Star, 2 June 2006; “Dhaka factory riot erupts again," BBC News, 3 June 2006; AFP, “Bangla textile factories shut as workers protest," The Peninsula, 4 June 2006; “Garment workers’ stir intensifies, 92 factories closed," The Daily Star, 4 June 2006; “New national visa policy to be introduced," The Independent, 6 June 2006; Nizam Ahmed, Reuters, “Myanmar refugees want permanent home in BD," Daily Times, 7 June 2006; “21 trafficked persons rescued in Rajshahi," The Independent, 9 June 2006; UNB, “PM seeks Filipino support for nurses’ training," The Daily Star, 13 June 2006; “Expat remittances record high in May," Gulf Times, 13 June 2006