215 more Bangladeshis return from Saudi Arabia

Some 215 more Bangladeshi migrant workers returned home from Saudi Arabia on Wednesday night.

They arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka in two separate flights.

A flight of Saudi Airlines SV-804 carrying 86 Bangladeshi workers landed at the airport at 11:20pm while another flight of the airlines SV-802 carrying 129 Bangladeshi landed at 1:15am.
 
A total of 1,561 Bangladeshi workers were sent back home from Saudi Arabia in the first two weeks of November, according to Brac Migration Programme and the expatriate welfare desk at the airport.   

This year, a total of 21,000 Bangladeshi workers returned home from Saudi Arabia amid a crackdown on undocumented workers there.

Kamal Ahmed of Sylhet, Mohammad Jahed Ali of Tangail, Imran of Gazipur, Ibrahim of Cumilla, Babul of Narsingdi and many others have almost the same stories of their miseries.  

Sohrab, hailing from Kishoreganj, could not bring anything but a muffler from Saudi Arabia. 

He went to the country spending Tk5 lakh two years ago with a dream of a better future.  But his dream has been shattered. 

Sohrab alleged that he was caught from his room and sent back to Bangladesh. 

Harun, a resident of Gazipur, has also returned Bangladesh with an empty hand whereas he spent Tk6 and a half lakh for going Saudi. 

He was arrested while returning from his work and then repatriated.   

Many of them alleged that they had paid money to their kafils (employers) for akama (work-permit), said Shariful Hassan, head of Brac Migration Programme.

But the employers did not give them work-permits, he added.  

Now, the employers were not taking any responsibility of the workers while they were being arrested.

However, Sumi, who was tortured in Saudi Arabia, and another 100 female workers are supposed to arrive in Dhaka on Friday morning, according to Bangladesh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Golam Masih.