Reza Mahmud :
About 50,000 illegal Bangladeshi nationals will come back home from Malaysia as the country has announced amnesty for the illegal foreign workers in the country.
The programme titled ‘back for good’ scheme for the illegal foreign workers will end on December 31.
Sources at Bangladesh High commission in Kuala Lumpur said that about 30,000 illegal workers have taken the chance of the programme immediately.
Besides, more 3,000 undocumented Bangladeshi workers have applied there to return home taking the chance of the programme.
The sources said that more 20,000 undocumented Bangladeshi workers are also expected to avail the chance.
The Sources further said that there are more than five lakh Bangladeshi workers are now working in Malaysia legally. Besides, about the same number undocumented expatriate Bangladeshis are also working there.
Ahmedul Kabir, a Bangldeshi Journalist working in Malaysia, said that all of the undocumented workers are not illegal.
He said, “Many of them had legal work permits. But day-by-day they have lost their legal time frame. Many of them have submitted money to different persons there to gain legal work permits but failed due to those persons’ illegal tricks.
Many companies in Malaysia are using illegal foreign workers, including Bangladeshis due to cheap wages.
Malaysia’s current government led by Dr. Mahathir Mohammad, started stern actions to clean all illegal foreign workers. As part of the drives, law enforcers and different agencies of the country have been conducting various operations across the country.
The country has also given some chances to be legal of those undocumented workers from last year.
As the last chance, the Malaysian government announced the ‘back for good’ programme for the undocumented workers. About 30,000 illegal Bangladeshi workers have taken the chance so far. More 3,000 applied workers are waiting to come back home under the programme. Many more are also taking preparation to take the chance.
However, officials from Bangladesh High-Commission in Kuala Lumpur said the applied undocumented Bangladeshis are suffering from ticket shortages as the programme will be ended within this December.
In these, circumstances, Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry on Thursday announced that Biman Bangladesh Airlines will operate 16 special flights for the return of those Bangladeshi workers home from Malaysia.
State Minister of Civil Aviation Md. Mahbub Ali said, “As the National flag bearing Airlines, Biman has a responsibility for those Bangladeshi workers, Biman will operate those flights by Boeing 737 and 787-8 Dream liners.”
