Foreign minister Dipu Moni faced agitating Bangladesh nationals stranded at border points between Libya and Egypt for delay in relocating them from politically volatile and strife-torn Libya on Sunday, according to diplomatic sources.
They criticized the government for its lukewarm attitude in repatriating people stranded in trouble-torn
Libya, a foreign ministry official, who wanted not to be quoted, said.
The stranded Bangladeshis expressed their anger when foreign minister Dipu Moni visited them at bordering areas between Egypt and Libya to see their condition on Sunday.
Some ministers were saying that Bangladesh nationals stranded inside Libya were in good condition when governments of other countries had sent aircraft and ships to relocate their citizens, they told Dipu Moni.
She assured them that the government would repatriate all Bangladeshis willing to return home as soon as possible.
The minister on Sunday saw off the first batch of stranded Bangladesh nationals leaving Alexandria in Egypt by the first repatriation flight operated by Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
Biman is likely to operate a flight five days a week for repatriation of stranded Bangladeshis.
Bangladesh ambassador to Egypt Mizanur Rahman and foreign ministry directors general Wahidur Rahman and Jishnu Roy Chowdhury were also present there.
A good number of Bangladesh nationals, who have remained stranded in Libyan capital Tripoli, are likely to be relocated to safer places from the trouble-torn city, a foreign ministry release on Sunday evening said.
Some19,064 Bangladesh nationals are likely to be repatriated to home from Egypt and Tunisia by 21 March, 2011.
‘There are Bangladesh nationals still with their families living inside Tripoli many of whom would expect relocation through the Tripoli airport,’ it said.
There are about 25,000 Bangladesh nationals inside Libya.
A number of them are lady doctors and nurses working in various hospitals in Libya.
Foreign secretary Mohamed Mijarul Quayes was also visiting Egypt and Tunisia to find out new job markets for Bangladesh nationals in the north African countries, in addition to supervising repatriation works.
A total of 16,320 Bangladesh nationals who were employed in Libya have been repatriated to Bangladesh till Sunday afternoon, the foreign ministry said.
Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration is making all out efforts to arrange repatriation of the remaining approximately 19,064 Bangladesh nationals from Egypt and Tunisia by 21 March 2011.
There were some 12,327 Bangladesh nationals in Ras Jdir — a border area with Tunisia till Sunday afternoon.
There were a little more than 1,000 Bangladesh nationals at the border point of Al Salloum, Egypt. Influx of Bangladeshis at this border has decreased remarkably, the foreign ministry said.
There were some 189 Bangladesh nationals staying in Ain-Amenas, a south-eastern city of Algeria which is close to the Libyan border.
The Algerian government was providing security and other logistic support to them. It has, however, requested Bangladesh government to repatriate them early. The foreign ministry was working with the IOM for their repatriation.
Courtesy of New Age
