Program head of Brac Migration Program, Shariful Hasan, has informed that a Saudi Airlines carrying 160 Bangladeshi workers landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 11:20 pm on Tuesday. After a crackdown on undocumented workers there, the aforementioned workers were identified and later sent back to their own country. On the contrary, the workers complained that they were forced to return to Bangladesh despite having valid documents, Hasan said. Saudi authorities have arrested around 3.8 million foreigners as it continues its crackdown on labour and residency violators, according to a report of the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

"Saudi Arabia has sent back 389 workers in the last three days," Hasan said.

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Worker's distress

The authorities concerned of Wage Earners' Welfare Board under the Brac Migration Program provided all necessary assistance, including food to the workers. Yet the workers also accused the Bangladesh Embassy in Saudi Arabia for doing nothing to stop the deportation. Earlier on September 15, some 175 Bangladeshi workers were sent back. As over 1,000 Bangladeshis are now there at Riyadh Deportation Camp, according to the Bangladeshis sent back. 

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Deportation and detention

Saudi Arabia is the largest manpower export destination for Bangladesh with nearly one-fourth of its expatriate workforce working in it. Initially, the main influx was composed of Arab and western technical, professional and administrative personnel. Later, substantial numbers came from Southeast Asia. The country requires foreign workers to have their sponsor's permission to enter and leave the country and denies exit to those with work disputes pending in court. What goes wrong is that sponsors generally confiscate passports while workers are in the country; sometimes employers also hold passports of workers' family members.

The country has been detaining people for violating residential, labor and border security regulations since November 2017. A total of 3,790,173 people have been arrested, including over 2.95 million for residency violations, 583,602 for breaking labor laws and 247,220 for flouting border regulations, according to the SPA reports. As many as 544,521 people have been arrested since early June and 940,100 expatriates have been deported since November 2017, as per the latest figures. 

(With inputs from ANI)

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