The government will take action against a number of foreign citizens who are illegally working and are engaged in business in Bangladesh without work permits, said sources in the immigration department and the Board of Investment (BoI). Many of them have also overstayed in the country, the sources added. There are over 1 lakh foreigners, mostly from India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, China and Hong Kong who have been staying here illegally, the sources added. Such foreigners have mostly arrived in Bangladesh on tourist visas and are working in many readymade garment (RMG) factories, leather, textiles and multinational companies, fashion and buying houses and educational institutions and clinics, the sources further said. They added that many of them are even working independently with local aid.
A total of 18,430 foreigners is working legally in different organizations across the country, the sources informed this correspondent.
While the government has been deprived of huge amounts of income taxes, untaxed money amounting to crores of takas is being smuggled out of the country as the illegal workers send their incomes back home through illegal channels such as hundi, a senior official of the immigration department told The Independent on condition of anonymity.
Sources said a complaint was lodged against a Korean citizen named Steve (Sang Yun) Chang at the home ministry recently. After receiving the complaint, the home minister asked an intelligence agency to take action against him, the sources added.
According to the complaint, Steve (Sang Yun) Chang is working here as Bangladesh country manager of Forever 21, a buying house. He has overstayed in the country for a long time and is allegedly involved in various fraudulent activities in the country while engaging in the garments business. He is staying in the city’s DOHS Baridhara area, House No. 173, Lane No. 1.
A high-ranking official of the home ministry told The Independent that they have asked the intelligence agencies to probe the matter of foreign citizens overstaying in the country on the pretext of working as foreign workers and businessmen.
“We will ask the law enforcement agencies to take action against the foreign citizens who are staying here illegally after we get the inquiry report,” he said.
Neo Sze Kiat and Yew Chen Siong of Malaysia are a case in point. The duo, who arrived in Bangladesh on tourist visas, have reportedly been dealing in ‘jhut’ (garments factory waste) since 2009.
They have rented a house at 541/3, Lane 12, DOHS, Baridhara and opened a bank account (0033006259) with the Motijheel branch of the Bank of Asia in the name of Hyvital Export and Import Ltd. A large amount of money is reportedly being transacted from this account, the sources pointed out. These two foreigners, reportedly with the help of some local traders, have set up several business organisations, including Hyvital Enterprise, Hybrid, Rawshan Enterprise, Foyez Enterprise and Quasem Enterprise. None of these organizations is registered with the BOI, the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) or the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC), sources in these organisations said. They added that law enforcement agencies and other connected organisations should immediately take steps to shut down such businesses that have been illegally floated by foreigners.
Many such foreigners live in the country on tourist visas but are engaged in businesses activities. These foreign businessmen could also be involved in money laundering or other crimes, the sources suspect.
-With The Independent input
