Govt to evacuate 6,000 workers from Libya
FE Report | Sunday, 27 February 2011
FE Report
The government has moved to bring home 6,000 Bangladeshi workers trapped in riot-torn Libya, most without food since the rebellion spread in the North African country, officials said Saturday. Foreign secretary Mijarul Quayes said some 1,104 Bangladeshi workers have already left Libya and thousands more would be evacuated in the next few days with the help of their Korean and Malaysian employers and international agencies. "The government has contacted International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Red Cross to evacuate Bangladeshis from Libya to neighboring countries or safe areas on Libyan borders," he added. Up to 80,000 Bangladeshi workers are believed to be trapped in the riot-torn country since the anti-government protests swept through the eastern parts of the Muslim nation early last week. Quayes said the foreign ministry does not have any report of Bangladeshi casualties in Libya, brushing off claims by a German media that at least 36 Bangladeshi workers were killed in the clashes. "As far as the reports from our embassy in Libyan capital are concerned, no Bangladeshi have died in Libya," he said, adding none was either taken hostages. Secretary for Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment, Zafar Ahmed Khan said the main problem for the Bangladeshis workers trapped in Libya was "acute shortage of food". "We have asked our foreign missions in Syria, Libya and Egypt to supply necessary food, medicine and other required logistics for our workers. Most of them are employed in construction sites in Libya," Zafar said. "Our missions in neighboring Libya have been asked to hire airplane or ships -- whatever is required to evacuate the workers to safer places," Zafar added. The comments from the top government bureaucrats came hours after the relatives of the workers blocked a key highway at Bhairab and formed human chain in Dhaka to press the government to bring back the workers. The foreign secretary said the evacuation from Libya is taking time as most of the Bangladeshi workers "don't have any travel documents, which normally are kept with their employers." He ruled out any government move to repatriate all 80,000 workers. "I don't think the time has come to evacuate all our workers living in Libya to Bangladesh," Quayes told the briefing. He, however, said the government is ready to face any exigency. If needed, the government would repatriate all the workers, he added. Elaborating some developments in Libya, the foreign secretary said 804 Bangladeshis have been evacuated from eastern Libyan city of Benghazi to Greek island of Crete by their Chinese employer. In addition, 300 Bangladeshis entered Tunisia Saturday afternoon as the North African country was relatively safe for the workers, he added. Quayes said the IOM, the Red Cross and the Bangladeshi missions in Libya and neighboring countries have moved to provide "alternative travel documents to Bangladeshis trapped in Libya." These documents would facilitate the workers' entry to neighbouring countries, he added. Officials told the briefing the expatriate ministry and foreign ministry have established separate control rooms to answer the queries of the relatives of the Bangladeshi workers in Libya.
The government has moved to bring home 6,000 Bangladeshi workers trapped in riot-torn Libya, most without food since the rebellion spread in the North African country, officials said Saturday. Foreign secretary Mijarul Quayes said some 1,104 Bangladeshi workers have already left Libya and thousands more would be evacuated in the next few days with the help of their Korean and Malaysian employers and international agencies. "The government has contacted International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Red Cross to evacuate Bangladeshis from Libya to neighboring countries or safe areas on Libyan borders," he added. Up to 80,000 Bangladeshi workers are believed to be trapped in the riot-torn country since the anti-government protests swept through the eastern parts of the Muslim nation early last week. Quayes said the foreign ministry does not have any report of Bangladeshi casualties in Libya, brushing off claims by a German media that at least 36 Bangladeshi workers were killed in the clashes. "As far as the reports from our embassy in Libyan capital are concerned, no Bangladeshi have died in Libya," he said, adding none was either taken hostages. Secretary for Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment, Zafar Ahmed Khan said the main problem for the Bangladeshis workers trapped in Libya was "acute shortage of food". "We have asked our foreign missions in Syria, Libya and Egypt to supply necessary food, medicine and other required logistics for our workers. Most of them are employed in construction sites in Libya," Zafar said. "Our missions in neighboring Libya have been asked to hire airplane or ships -- whatever is required to evacuate the workers to safer places," Zafar added. The comments from the top government bureaucrats came hours after the relatives of the workers blocked a key highway at Bhairab and formed human chain in Dhaka to press the government to bring back the workers. The foreign secretary said the evacuation from Libya is taking time as most of the Bangladeshi workers "don't have any travel documents, which normally are kept with their employers." He ruled out any government move to repatriate all 80,000 workers. "I don't think the time has come to evacuate all our workers living in Libya to Bangladesh," Quayes told the briefing. He, however, said the government is ready to face any exigency. If needed, the government would repatriate all the workers, he added. Elaborating some developments in Libya, the foreign secretary said 804 Bangladeshis have been evacuated from eastern Libyan city of Benghazi to Greek island of Crete by their Chinese employer. In addition, 300 Bangladeshis entered Tunisia Saturday afternoon as the North African country was relatively safe for the workers, he added. Quayes said the IOM, the Red Cross and the Bangladeshi missions in Libya and neighboring countries have moved to provide "alternative travel documents to Bangladeshis trapped in Libya." These documents would facilitate the workers' entry to neighbouring countries, he added. Officials told the briefing the expatriate ministry and foreign ministry have established separate control rooms to answer the queries of the relatives of the Bangladeshi workers in Libya.