There are more than one lakh expatriate Bangladeshi workers in Maldives. Of them, more than 50,000 workers, having no valid documents, are working irregularly in Maldives. The Bangladesh High Commission has been trying to bring the irregular workers under registration.
Bangladesh High Commissioner in the Maldives Rear Admiral Mohammad Nazmul Hasan said this while exchanging views with journalists at Bangladesh High Commission in Maldives on Sunday.
He said, “In the last two years, we have been looking forward to solve the problem of irregular Bangladeshi immigrants in the Maldives. As many Bangladeshi workers are staying here, our main aim to regularise them which may open next door to bring more people in the Maldives in the future”.
“However, there are some limitations. We will never step backward to help any of them. We urge them to understand our limitations and cooperate with us,” he added.
According to the high commission, the Maldivian government has already given legal status to illegal immigrants. The event officially started a year ago at the Male Stadium. About 38,000 irregular Bangladeshi workers registered there. Two thousand workers later registered online. In all, 40,000 have registered. However, as the process is not over yet, they have not got legitimacy.
The High Commissioner has also said, “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina may visit the Maldives this month. During the premier’s visit, development of bilateral trade relations, legalisation of illegal Bangladeshi workers and some economic issues will get priority.”
“In the last two years, we have tried to find out ways to improve the conditions of the expatriates. Many Bangladeshis have lost their jobs due to coronavirus pandemic. In every aspect, we are working to give them better services,” the high commissioner further added.
Last month, Maldives Vice President Faisal Naseem visited Bangladesh and discussed with the Bangladeshi authorities how to resolve these issues. He also met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during his visit.
While pointing the high commission’s various activities, high commissioner said, “One of our continuous efforts is to bring our local airliners here. This has forced other airliners to reduce their airfare too. This has been a great relief for our expatriate workers here.”
“Before we tried to bring Bangladesh Biman here but finally US Bangla is carrying passengers from/ to Maldives. It helps us a lot. Due to the launch of US Bangla Airlines, Maldives Air has reduced their air fare,” he said.
First secretary of the high commission Md Sohel Parvez presided over the function while other high officials among others were present on the occasion.
