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