Number of illegal Bangladeshi migrants in Iran increasing
Thursday, 22 November 2012
Arafat Ara
The number of Illegal Bangladeshi migrants being cheated by human traffickers from different Middle Eastern countries in Iran is on the rise, officials said.
Recently Bangladesh ambassador to Tehran Khandakar Abdus Sattar sent a letter to the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET), Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry and Foreign Affairs Ministry seeking cooperation to save the people from the clutches of human traffickers.
According to him, following the rise in the number of illegal immigrants, the law enforcement authority in Iran has become more active and Bangladeshi expatriates as well as dishonest middlemen are being arrested by the Iranian police regularly.
There are over 500 migrants at the Bandar Abbas in Iran who have no legal documents, Mr Sattar mentioned.
For the last several months a section of human traffickers is alluring the migrants in Middle Eastern countries promising lucrative jobs in European countries, the top official said in his letter.
"But the fraudsters lock up them in Iran and torture ruthlessly to get ransom from their family members at home, he said.
He, however, said according to the Iranian law, the intruders are being pushed back into Pakistan border.
"But in this situation the helpless people are held hostage again by another group of traffickers or mafia in Pakistan border, he added.
He said they have requested repeatedly the Iranian government not to push back them to the Pakistan border but give opportunity to go back home.
Sometimes police gives opportunity to those to go back home only who have travel documents and air fare, he also said.
There is no labour wing in the Bangladesh Embassy and Bandar Abbas is about 2000 kilometres away from Tehran, the ambassador informed the authorities.
He said if a consular team of the embassy can provide travel documents for the arrested migrants, they will be able to return back to Bangladesh.
But the embassy has no sufficient funds to operate the activities, noted the high official in his letter and has requested the BMET to provide necessary funds to save the Bangladeshis.
Earlier, Arifur Rahman Apu, commercial counsellor of Bangladesh Embassy in Teheran also sent a list of traffickers to the Bangladesh manpower authority.
The traffickers are-- Rumuj Ali from Bishshawnath in Sylhet, Angur from Chhatak in Sunamganj, Mirmol from Kulaura in Habiganj, Hassan from Comilla, Sharif from Chandpur, Alam from Munshiganj, Karim from Moulovibazar, Romi Babu from Dhaka, Sarwar from Brahmanbaria, Kironchandra and Bilal from Kanaighat in Sylhet.
An official source of the BMET said they have sent a letter to the Foreign affairs ministry to take necessary measures to provide fund to the Bangladesh embassy in Tehran in this regard.
Last week a total of 19 expatriates came back home from Iran who were also cheated by the dishonest middlemen and held hostage for ransom for a long time.
The number of Illegal Bangladeshi migrants being cheated by human traffickers from different Middle Eastern countries in Iran is on the rise, officials said.
Recently Bangladesh ambassador to Tehran Khandakar Abdus Sattar sent a letter to the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET), Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry and Foreign Affairs Ministry seeking cooperation to save the people from the clutches of human traffickers.
According to him, following the rise in the number of illegal immigrants, the law enforcement authority in Iran has become more active and Bangladeshi expatriates as well as dishonest middlemen are being arrested by the Iranian police regularly.
There are over 500 migrants at the Bandar Abbas in Iran who have no legal documents, Mr Sattar mentioned.
For the last several months a section of human traffickers is alluring the migrants in Middle Eastern countries promising lucrative jobs in European countries, the top official said in his letter.
"But the fraudsters lock up them in Iran and torture ruthlessly to get ransom from their family members at home, he said.
He, however, said according to the Iranian law, the intruders are being pushed back into Pakistan border.
"But in this situation the helpless people are held hostage again by another group of traffickers or mafia in Pakistan border, he added.
He said they have requested repeatedly the Iranian government not to push back them to the Pakistan border but give opportunity to go back home.
Sometimes police gives opportunity to those to go back home only who have travel documents and air fare, he also said.
There is no labour wing in the Bangladesh Embassy and Bandar Abbas is about 2000 kilometres away from Tehran, the ambassador informed the authorities.
He said if a consular team of the embassy can provide travel documents for the arrested migrants, they will be able to return back to Bangladesh.
But the embassy has no sufficient funds to operate the activities, noted the high official in his letter and has requested the BMET to provide necessary funds to save the Bangladeshis.
Earlier, Arifur Rahman Apu, commercial counsellor of Bangladesh Embassy in Teheran also sent a list of traffickers to the Bangladesh manpower authority.
The traffickers are-- Rumuj Ali from Bishshawnath in Sylhet, Angur from Chhatak in Sunamganj, Mirmol from Kulaura in Habiganj, Hassan from Comilla, Sharif from Chandpur, Alam from Munshiganj, Karim from Moulovibazar, Romi Babu from Dhaka, Sarwar from Brahmanbaria, Kironchandra and Bilal from Kanaighat in Sylhet.
An official source of the BMET said they have sent a letter to the Foreign affairs ministry to take necessary measures to provide fund to the Bangladesh embassy in Tehran in this regard.
Last week a total of 19 expatriates came back home from Iran who were also cheated by the dishonest middlemen and held hostage for ransom for a long time.