More than 50,000 foreigners are now staying in Bangladesh illegally posing serious threat to national security as well as creating extra pressure on domestic job market, officials and experts said Monday.
Of the foreigners, 30,450 are Indians, 2,532 Pakistanis, 2,411 Nepalis, 3,924 Chinese, 2,222 Americans and 2,192 British. The Special Branch (SB) of police is working to find out other nationals who are also illegally staying in the country.
Besides, a total of 1,40,700 foreign nationals have entered Bangladesh from January, 2012 until to date. Of whom how many are overstaying in the country are yet to be known, SB sources said.  Â
However, most of the foreigners usually enter Bangladesh as tourists and overstay here and work in different sectors like garment, telecom companies and NGOs violating the laws of the land, they added. Â
According to them, many of these foreigners are also allegedly involved in different types of anti-state activities in connivance with some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and others.
In some cases these illegal foreigners were found involved in drug and arms trading, prostitutions, money laundering, terror financing and making fake currency notes like US dollars, euro, pound and also Bangladeshi taka, sources at different government security agencies said.
Experts said the situation is deteriorating as the government is not taking strict measures to check the illegal practice.
But high officials of different security agencies of the government said for lack of a deportation centre they do not get satisfactory result of their drives against the illegal foreigners which discouraged them to go for any vigorous action in this regard.
"We have arrested a good number of illegal foreign nationals on several occasions. But they used to secure bail from the court and again involve themselves in different illegal activities," a police superintendent at the SB (Immigration) office told the FE preferring anonymity.
According to him, when arrested, these foreigners usually say that their passports have been lost and also give fake address of both their native countries and in Bangladesh which takes certain time to verify and decide about their fate. But for lack of a deportation centre the security agencies cannot deport the illegal foreigners.
"If the country had a deportation centre then we can detain these foreign nationals for a certain period for permanent deportation to their respective countries. But now after five to seven days of arrests the foreigners get bail from court where the security agencies have nothing to do," he added. Â
Replying to a question, he said some of these foreigners' involvement in anti-state activities is difficult to prove.
However, a former adviser to the caretaker government, Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman said the government should take immediate steps against these illegal foreigners for the sake of national interest.
Besides, the government should immediately establish a deportation centre and go for vigorous drives against illegal foreigners, he added.
"Government's indifference to round up illegal foreigners is also depriving the country of earning handsome amount of royalty as these foreigners remit their earnings through hundi."Â Â
Mr Zillur Rahman, however, urged Bangladesh missions abroad to be more careful before issuing tourist visas. He also suggested immigration department officials to be choosy before extending period of every visa.
However, secretary to the ministry of home affairs, CQK Mustak Ahmed said his office has taken a set of initiatives to prevent such illegal entry and curb overstay in the country.
"An inter-departmental committee has been formed with an additional secretary as its head to find out loopholes and ways to prevent illegal stay in the country and to strengthen drives against illegal foreigners," he added.
50,000 foreigners staying illegally in Bangladesh
Badrul Ahsan | Published: December 31, 2013 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
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