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"We sold all our properties to make the journey to Malaysia. We are now surviving hand to mouth," Masum (L) told IOL. |
DHAKA — Masum Khan boarded a plane heading to Malaysia a month ago with the hope of earning enough money to support himself and his family back home in Bangladesh.
But in just weeks, the economic turmoil sweeping the world dashed his hopes and forced him to go home empty-handed.
"I went to Malaysia for a job spending three thousand dollar. I had the visa, a job permission and the company’s appointment letter," Khan, 25, told IslamOnline.net.
Yet, he could not even enter Malaysia, let alone work, after the government, hard-hit by the economic downturn, revoked work visas for more than 55,000 Bangladeshis.
"So I stayed in Kuala-Lumpur Airport for 18 days. Then I was sent to a Malay jail," Khan recalls.
"Last of all, I was sent back to Bangladesh."
Khan is one of thousands of Bangladeshi immigrant workers hit by the economic crisis.
Many of them got only a couple of hours' notice before being discharged.
"Every day dozens of Bangladeshi workers….come home due to the economic recession," said Sobedul Islam, who was himself sent home from Dubai last week.
"I was sent back as well."
Islam was working in a construction company in Dubai when he was suddenly told to pack and leave.
"Several hundreds of Bangladeshi workers like me were also sent back from Dubai after the meltdown of the company where we were working."
In February, the number of returnee workers stood at over eight thousand, double the figure the month before.
The Bangladesh government said overseas jobs fell by more than 40,000 in January compared to a year ago.
The financial firestorm swept the US in September after the demise of Lehman Brothers, one of the US’s Wall Street giants.
Since this, it has knocked down many major companies worldwide, causing mounting job losses, falling household wealth and forcing consumers to hold back on spending.
Panic
Mashud Ahmad, Director General of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) in the Manpower Ministry, insists that the increased number of returning immigrant workers should not be considered a problem.
"There is no cause for panic about this situation."
The government, reeling under the financial crisis itself, is trying to deal with the increasing numbers of returning workers.
"We are trying to resolve the cancellation of the visa of 55 thousand Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia through consultation," AHM Mostafa Kamal, chairman of the Parliamentary committee on economic affairs, told IOL.
Migrant workers have for years helped prop up Bangladesh's economy.
Unofficially, at least nine million Bangladeshis, including those who leave through illegal channels, are thought to be working overseas, according to recruitment agents.
Officially, the figure is put at 6.3 million.
But the government's efforts bring no comfort to immigrant workers who lost everything.
Saidur Rahman, who went to Singapore to lift his family out of poverty, is now back home after spending whatever he once owned.
"I went Singapore spending six thousand dollar," sobbed Saidur, who was hoping to make enough money to marry his two sisters.
"But I worked in Singapore two months and got salary for one month only."
Masum, the Malaysia returnee, is desperately searching for work to feed his family, who might spend days without a descent meal.
"We sold all our properties to make the journey to Malaysia.
"We are now surviving hand to mouth."
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