A top Maldivian immigration official has held out the assurance that his country will take steps to legalise thousands of Bangladeshi migrant workers staying in the Indian ocean state illegally.
An estimated 80,000 Bangladeshis are living in the island Republic, the majority of them have no legal work permit.
"We favour regular migration. We'll take initiative to regularise jobs of illegal Bangladeshis," said Hassan Khaleel, the chief principal immigration officer at the Maldives Immigration and Emigration Department
His assurance came at a meeting between a delegation of the Maldives and Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) on Wednesday in the city.
He, however, voiced concern over the rising tide of illegal Bangladeshis living in the Maldives, saying irregular workers are having immense sufferings.
He said though there are both legal and illegal Bangladeshi migrants in the Maldives, the number of workers with no legal permits is increasing gradually.
Most Bangladeshi workers entered the Maldives with visit visas and did not return, added Mr Khaleel.
Athaullah Ahmed Rasheed, additional secretary of ministry of foreign affairs in the Maldives and head of the delegation, was also present in the meeting.
Officials at the expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry say Bangladeshi workers in the Maldives end up in low-paying jobs and get no regular wages and medical treatment.
They say that local recruiting agencies send jobseekers send Bangladeshis through false visa charging Tk 200,000 to 250,000 each.
BAIRA senior vice-president Ali Haider Chowdhury said a section of travel agencies is involved in sending jobseekers with travel visas abroad.
"Generally people cannot distinguish between travel agencies and recruiting agencies. That's why, they only blame the recruiting agencies over irregular migration," Haider told the meeting.
He also said it is necessary to create mass awareness to reduce fraudulent practice by the dishonest manpower recruiters.
BAIRA president Abul Basher, general secretary Monsur Ahmed Kalam, among others were present at the meeting.
