Steps taken for security of expats in Libya

The government initiated necessary steps to ensure security of Bangladeshis working in Libya in the wake of the latest abduction of two countrymen there, said expatriate welfare minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain on Wednesday.

The government sought necessary supports and cooperation from the ILO and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to help repatriate the Bangladeshi nationals from Libya if the situation turns worse there, said the Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment (EWOE) minister.

Besides, the authorities communicated with the Bangladesh mission and the Libyan authority to rescue the hostage workers, he said. "We will get back the workers held hostage in Libya"

Currently more than 50,000 Bangladeshis are working in Libya.  Bangladeshi workers were not the target of IS militants. They were abducted accidentally, the minister added.

Meanwhile a meeting chaired by the EWOE minister on issuance of Machine Readable Passport (MRP) was also held at the ministry on Wednesday.

On the meeting the minister said they decided to take necessary steps to provide MRPs to the migrant workers in time.

Foreign Affairs Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali and state minister for ministry of home affairs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal were present at the meeting.

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