At least one hundred Bangladeshi workers, who were reportedly deported by the Omani authorities, returned home Friday morning.A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying the returnees, whose visas had been expired in Oman, landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 8:00 in the morning, said officials concerned at the airport.Assistant Director of Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) Welfare Desk at the airport Md Zahirul Islam confirming the return of the migrant workers said they had been working in Oman for the past seven to eight years. According to Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry sources, Oman is currently the largest job market for the Bangladeshi people. Another BMET official said that some Bangladeshis, who have reportedly migrated to Oman from neighboring United Arab Emirates (UAE), are still working there without valid documents. They might also be deported by the Omani authorities anytime, he said.BMET record says, Oman has been recruiting Bangladeshi workers since 1976. A total of 897,068 Bangladeshi workers have so far gone to Oman with job visas up to June 2014. Oman has become the top destination for Bangladeshi worker since 2013. One of the returnees, Khalil Rahman, a resident of Mymensingh who went toOman in 2008 and worked for four years legally after renewing his work permit twice, admitted his illegal stay there.Khalil was working illegally there for the last two years since he could not renew his work permit, he said, adding that, three months ago, Omani police arrested him and sent him to jail when he failed to show the necessary documents. “After serving three-months of imprisonment, I was released this month and deported,” he said, adding that a good of number of Bangladeshis are still working without valid documents in Oman.Some of the returnees, however, alleged that they had been deported by their employers despite having legal visas.Shorab Hossain, a resident of Kishoreganj, said that he had been working legally but his employer forcibly sacked him after his denial to pay any money to his sponsor. Sponsors are responsible for finding jobs for migrants.”I went to Oman in 2012 in driving visa, but my sponsor engaged me to construction work and extorted 20 Omani Riyal every month,” he claimed.”I did not have any alternative to paying the demanded money in order to retain my sponsor, but gradually he started forcing me to pay him more,” Shorab said.”I protested and thus I have been sent back to Bangladesh.”Md Ellias, a resident of Brahmanbaria, who went to Oman last year, claims to have been deported forcibly by his Omani employer.”My employer refused to pay my salary regularly for the last few months and he started beating me when I demanded it,” Ellias said, adding that his employer had forcibly brought him to Omani airport to be deported to Bangladesh.
