Remittances dry up as Bangladesh's migrants return
For poverty stricken Bangladesh, the ongoing crackdown by Malaysian
authorities on illegal foreign workers, is a particularly harsh
blow.
Up to the end of last year, close to a quarter million Bangladeshis
were estimated to be living illegally in foreign countries - nearly
half of which worked in Malaysia. Total remittances for 1996 were
estimated at $1.4 billion.
The deportation of over 100,000 Bangladeshis from Malaysia will
not only be a major loss of income for families who depended on
the remittances, but will also put new strains on the national
economy and exacerbate unemployment problems.
Moreover, the Malaysian crackdown comes on the heels of a similar
move by the Gulf states last year when some 50,000 Bangladeshi
workers were expelled from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates
and Qatar for violation of immigration rules.
Initially, the cheap labour offered by Bangladeshis was welcomed
by Malaysia which inked a labour export deal with Dhaka three
years ago. Under the agreement, Malaysia was to recruit 50,000
workers every year. Able bodied Bangladeshis between 18 and 35
years old were eligible for a work permit.
But Malaysia unilaterally broke the deal when Bangladeshis began
arriving illegally in large numbers in search of jobs in the booming
Southeast Asian economy.
With hundreds of thousands of job seekers also sneaking in through
the back door from Indonesia and the Philippines, Malaysian authorities
became increasingly alarmed, and last year decided to stem the
flow.
Last June, the home ministry gave employers six months to legalise
their foreign workers and obtain proper entry documents and work
permits. But when the year end deadline expired, only 700,000
of the over million estimated illegal workers had registered.
The deadline for a one-month extended amnesty ended on January
31 and this time, there are no extensions.
The authorities worry that a social crisis is in the making and
point to a growing number of clashes - verbal and physical between
locals and foreigners. A number of shanty towns have also cropped
up on the outskirts of the major cities, with the foreign workers
unable to find or afford housing accommodation.
"The presence of illegal immigrants in the country has reached
a critical level," Malaysia's inspector-general of police
Abdul Rahim Noor, has been quoted as saying.
At a cost of 10 million ringgits ($4 million), the Malaysian home
ministry has set up 16 special squads equipped with four-wheel
drives, walkie-talkies, mobile phones, handcuffs and firearms,
to seek out those who have stayed beyond the deadline.
Those caught are liable to harsh penalties, including heavy fines
whippings and imprisonment. Employers found hiring illegal immigrants
may be fined up to $20,000 per worker. The crackdown has worried
rights groups who accuse authorities of ill-treating the illegal
migrants.
In a report two years ago, a Malaysian human rights group alleged
that hundreds of immigrants were detained in concentration camps
without sufficient food, water and medical care. Many were reported
to be tortured by the camp guards.
Under such circumstances, some Bangladeshis may welcome deportation,
but most will be agonising over their fate.
Most Bangladeshi illegal immigrants were sent abroad by unscrupulous
labour export agents. Many sold their family lots or took out
huge loans to pay illegal labour exporters between $2,000 and
$3,000 to secure a job overseas.
The Bangladeshis who entered Malaysia illegally mainly came in
from neighbouring Thailand where until recently, a tourist visa
was easy to obtain.
Once in Thailand, they were left on their own to find their way
into Malaysia across Thailand's southern border. At least 30,000
Bangladeshis are said to be still hiding in Thailand.
Thirty-year-old Anil, now back in Bangladesh, was caught by the
Malaysian border police along with other Bangladeshis. His head
was shaved and he and others were forced to walk on sharp stones.
Many fainted, he claims.
Back home, thousands of Bangladeshis deported from foreign nations
face an uncertain future. ''I have nothing to live on now,'' says
Jailil who was sent back from Saudi Arabia last month.
He was among the 25,000 Bangladeshis expelled from the gulf nation.
UNI
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