Staff Reporter :A total 61 Bangladeshi human trafficking victims out of 716, who were rescued by the Malaysian authorities last month from Langkawi Island, returned to Dhaka on Thursday afternoon.A flight of Bangladesh Biman carrying them landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 5.05pm. The victims are from Cox’s Bazar, Sirajganj, Narsingdi, Narayanganj, Jessore, Jhenaidah, Chuadanga and Joypurhat districts.An official of Foreign Ministry said the remaining victims would be brought back home within the month of Ramzan. According to Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia, preparations are being taken to send back in phases the victims who have been identified as Bangladeshi nationals. It may be noted that on May 10 last some 1,158 Rohingyas and Bangladeshi refugees, including women and children, reached Langkawi Island by boat, Kedah in Malaysia.The Foreign and the Home ministries identified 716 migrants lodged at the international camps in Malaysia, as its nationals, according to a senior foreign ministry official. They are currently being held at the Belantik Immigration Detention Centre in Kedah.The Bangladesh mission in Kuala Lumpur had prepared the list after getting consular access and preliminary verification. The decision to repatriate the victims was made after talks were held between the ministry and the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.Earlier, eighteen trafficking victims, who were rescued from the Andaman Sea by the Indonesian authorities around three months ago, returned home. Besides, on June 15 a total of 47 Bangladeshi human trafficking victims, who had been rescued by the Thai authorities last year from Andaman Sea, returned Dhaka from Bangkok.
