Blocking all exit routes for illegal workers

The reported arrest of about 586 Bangladeshis in Malaysia has brought into sharp focus the plight of illegal workers there. A FE report published on Saturday said the Malaysian authorities would issue them exit passes, without providing, however, any financial help for their repatriation home. The arrests are both shocking and alarming. Shocking, because the detection of such illegal workers has tarnished the country's image in the eyes of the host government. Malaysia lifted its restriction on import of manpower from Bangladesh after the two friendly countries introduced new government-to-government (G-to-G) system to recruit workers for construction projects and plantation. The G-to-G system, which has considerably lowered migration cost as well as reduced malpractices to some extent, has opened up new opportunities for employment of more Bangladeshi manpower in the Southeast Asian country. The incident is alarming because such arrests will give a negative signal about Bangladesh to all other manpower importing countries. Unfortunately, this has happened at a time when Bangladesh has reasons to be worried over falling remittances due to a worrying decline in its fresh manpower exports to other countries.
The decision of Bangladesh not to provide any assistance to the arrested illegal workers in Malaysia might sound cruel. But the big question is: how long will the authorities concerned continue to drain out state funds to bring such wayward people back home? The ill-fated workers did not even inform the authorities about their risky journey to Malaysia nor did they report to the country's embassy on their arrival.  Thanks to extensive publicity on fraudulent practices by some recruiters, the Bangladeshis seeking jobs abroad must, by now, be more aware of the tricks that a section of dishonest recruiting agencies plays in duping the innocent job-seekers to go to Malaysia or any other country.
It is somewhat intriguing how such job-seekers could dodge past or 'manage' the immigration in the country's airports to fly to Malaysia to land there as illegal workers. The workers did not even care about taking advantage of amnesty granted by Kuala Lumpur. The miserable plight of the illegal workers should now act as an eye-opener for others who might be on the queue. Host countries do not allow illegal workers to stay as they might create serious law and order or social problems there as it happened in the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia.
It is now time for Bangladesh to plug all holes through which workers go abroad illegally for work. The Coast Guards and the Bangladesh Navy have rightly detained a good number of people who tried to go by boats to Malaysia illegally through sea. The authorities must employ the highest level of alert and policing at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and other airports to stop illegal transportation of overseas job-seekers. All outbound workers must be made to procure no objection certificates (NOCs) from the relevant government authorities. Modern technology can be useful in this connection to verify and cheek or cross-check the authenticity of such NOCs on-line. Furthermore, the Bangladesh embassies in foreign lands where there is a large presence of the country's overseas workforce should be strengthened properly and be instructed clearly to make all-out efforts to verify and document them in close consultations with the host governments.