8,000 out on Libya borders

348 arrive on IOM-arranged flight, 36 others fly in on their own
Around 8,000 Bangladeshis who could get evacuated troubled Libya are now languishing at the Egyptian and Tunisian borders with little food and water coupled with extreme night chill, only to get back home.
The aggrieved evacuees said the Bangladesh government has not done enough for them and that they are now feeling “abandoned” as many of them have no travel documents.
Meanwhile, 33 Bangladeshi engineers stranded in Marsa Brega urged the government to make arrangement so that they can get aboard on an Indian ship likely to arrive at Brega port tomorrow.
“Till Wednesday, there were no bombings or shootings here but clashes between rebels and Gaddafi forces has started today,” said two of the engineers to The Daily Star, adding that this made them to stay inside their company premises.
“I reached the Egyptian border Saturday and went without food until I got on a flight and begged some water from the Europeans,” said Sazedul Hossain, who went to Benghazi, Libya to work for Al Maruf Construction Company nine months ago.
Sazedul and 35 of his colleagues came home yesterday morning by a chartered flight of International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
A total of 348 Bangladeshi nationals returned home from Libya yesterday through IOM chartered flights while 36 on other arrangements.
Till yesterday, 677 Bangladeshis returned home from Libya following the unrest in the country. Of them, 558 came on IOM chartered flights, 115 with the support from their employers and four on their own arrangement.
Another 174 Bangladeshis are returning today from Egypt by an IOM chartered flight at 10:30 in the morning. IOM is also facilitating return of seven persons by Etihad Airlines at 4:00am and five persons by Gulf Air at 4:40am.
Tomorrow, between 4:00 and 4:40am 40 more Bangladeshis are expected to return by Gulf Air while 174 others by a chartered flight.
Supported and coordinated by IOM, more flights are likely in the next few days.
IOM officials yesterday said this is an emergency situation and everybody is doing as much as possible.
Out of around 60,000 expatriate Bangladeshis in Libya, as many as 15,000 have either fled the escalating chaos in the oil-rich country or are on the move to reach home by air, said a top official of the United Nation’s migration agency.
Citing references of IOM field workers, Rabab Fatima, regional representative for South Asia, yesterday said around 8,000 Bangladeshi migrant workers are stranded at the Egyptian and Tunisian borders.
Meanwhile, Expatriates’ Welfare Secretary Zafar Ahmed Khan said, “We are discouraging Bangladeshis to come from Libya. They are poor workers and we fear that they might lose everything by doing so.”
“If they are not in direct danger, we advise them to stay where they are,” he told the AFP.
The Bangladeshis stranded in the no man’s land between Libya and Tunisia are in a dire situation, requiring food, water and shelter,” said IOM spokesperson Jemini Pandya.
“They are in the desert and the weather in the last few days has been windy with the nights freezing,” she added.
“On the Egyptian borders as well, shelter, water and sanitation have become the major issues,” said Jemini through an email from Geneva when asked about the situation of Bangladeshis.
IOM is providing food rations and water every day to the stranded migrants and is awaiting a go-ahead to supply tents and blankets for them from the military authorities there.
“We are also looking to improve the sanitation facilities there,” said Pandya.
Around 30,000 Bangladeshis workers are still in Libya even though the UN High Commission for Refugees has called for a mass evacuation.
“Hundreds of Bangladeshis are in queues at the borders. They do not have any food, money or embassy officials to seek help from,” said Hiron Mia, an expatriate who came home yesterday empty pocket.
The government is providing Tk 1,000 as travel expense and arranged a special shuttle service from Shahjalal International Airport to the different places for the repatriates from Libya.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni met IOM Director William Lacy Swing and ICRC President Yves Daccord on the sidelines of High Level Segment of the UN Human Rights Council.
The foreign minister stressed that the safety and security of the Bangladesh nationals in Libya is of the utmost priority to the government.
She sought all possible assistance from ICRC, including food, shelter and medical attention for the Bangladeshi nationals stranded in Libya and its border.

 

Courtesy of The Daily Star

Related News

Moon not seen, Ramadan begins on Friday

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims engage in self-purification through fasting and abstinence, begins in the country from Friday as the new crescent moon was not sighted in Bangladesh’s night sky this evening. The National Moon Sighting Committee took the decision at a meeting held at the Islamic Foundation’s Baitul ... Read more

Saudi Arabia confirms first day of Ramadan 2023

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Saudi Arabia announced Thursday, March 23 as the first day of Ramadan 2023. Observers were unable to spot the new moon on Tuesday, the sighting committee reported, meaning the holy month will not commence until Thursday. Wednesday will be the last day of the month of Shabaan, which precedes Ramadan, the ... Read more

Sculptor Shamim Sikder dies

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Ekushey Padak awardee sculptor and former professor of Dhaka University Shamim Sikder died this afternoon. She died around 4:30pm while being treated at the United Hospital Limited in Dhaka, Imran Hossain, a curator of Shamim Sikder Sculpture Park, confirmed. The 70-year-old artist was suffering from multiple illnesses, including cardiovascular, respiratory and ... Read more

Hajj flights begin on May 21

News Desk : dhakamirror.com This year’s hajj flights will start on May 21, Biman’s Managing Director and CEO Shafiqul Azim said today. The return hajj flights will begin on August 2, said the Biman boss during a press conference at the Biman Headquarters in the city’s Kurmitola this afternoon. The national flag carrier will operate ... Read more

No scope to curtail this year’s hajj airfare: Biman CEO

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Biman will not slash this year’s hajj airfare despite calls from different quarters, including the religious affairs ministry and a parliamentary watchdog, for reducing the ticket price. There is no scope to curtail the hajj airfare, said Biman’s Managing Director and CEO Shafiqul Azim during a press conference at its headquarters ... Read more

Madaripur road accident claims 19 lives

News Desk : dhakamirror.com At least 19 people were killed and over a dozen injured as a bus fell into a roadside ditch at Kutubpur under Shibpur upazila in Madaripur district on Sunday morning. Identities of the deceased could not be known immediately. The accident took place minutes after 7:30am on Sunday, said Madaripur Highway ... Read more

Rainfall is predicted to rise during the following 3 days

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Rainfall or thunder showers may increase in the country in the next 72 hours, Bangladesh Meteorological Department said in a forecast today. The 24-hour forecast issued at 9:00am said that the trough of westerly low lies over West Bengal and adjoining area and the seasonal low lies over the South Bay. ... Read more

Hajj registration: Deadline extended ‘for the last time

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The government today extended the deadline for hajj registration “for the last time” amid concerns that the quota for the annual pilgrimage won’t be fulfilled. According to a circular of the Religious Affairs Ministry issued this evening, the deadline for hajj registration has been extended till March 21. In the circular ... Read more

2 more Metrorail stations open to public from today

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Kazipara and Mirpur-11 stations of the country’s first-ever metro rail service was opened to public this morning. Metro rail has started picking up and dropping passengers at the Kazipara and Mirpur-11 stations.For all latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel. MAN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit ... Read more

This hajj package inhuman: High Court

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The High Court today said this year’s hajj package is inhuman as its cost is so high. Those who are involved in fixing this costly hajj package will become sharers of the sin, the HC bench of Justice KM Kamrul Kader and Justice Mohammad Ali during the hearing of a writ ... Read more

Woman dials 999 to surrender after killing husband

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A woman from Rajapur upazila in Jhalakathi called the National Emergency Service 999 early Monday claiming that she had killed her husband. Safia Khatun, 33, called the hotline-999 to surrender to the law after killing her husband autorickshaw driver Rabiul Awal Talukder. Emergency service call operator Constable Ikramul, who received the ... Read more

Fire Service, 9 people to receive Swadhinata Padak 2023

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The government has choosen 9 individuals and one institution for this year’s Swadhinata Padak (Independence Award), in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the country. The Cabinet Division has issued a notification in this regard on Thursday (9 March). Six recipients of the award freedom fighter Colonel (retired) Samsul Alam, Lieutenant ... Read more

Sehri and Iftar times for Ramadan 2023 released

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Islamic Foundation released the timings of Sehri and Iftar for holy Ramadan on Monday. The holy month of Ramadan is expected to begin on March 24, subject to viewing the moon, according to the schedule published by the Islamic Foundation on Monday. It also said that the list of timings ... Read more

Bangladeshis are eligible to obtain dual citizenship in 44 more countries

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladeshis will also be able to obtain citizenship in 44 countries, including Brazil and Argentina, following the approval of a proposal by the Cabinet. Currently, the Bangladeshis who acquired citizenship in 57 countries are enjoying this facility. With the addition of 44 new countries, those having citizenship from a total of ... Read more

A woman dies from pregnancy or childbirth every two minutes, UN report says

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Despite maternal mortality rates declining by a third in 20 years, a woman dies every two minutes from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth, according to a report released by the UN on Thursday. Rates dramatically decreased between 2000 and 2015, but between 2016 and 2020, they mostly stagnated, and in ... Read more

SSC exams to begin on 30 April

News Desk : dhakamirror.com This year’s Secondary School Certificate and its equivalent exams will start from April 30, about two months later than the usual time, due to the fallout of Covid-19 pandemic. Usually, during the pre-Covid period, SSC exams began in the first week of February. Chairman of Dhaka Education Board Tapan Kumar Sarkar ... Read more

Nibir’s condition improving but still in danger, family members say

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Doctors warned Kumar Nibir’s family that although his condition is improving, he is still in danger. Nibir was badly hurt in a car accident that killed three Bangladeshi students in Toronto on Monday night. Quoting a relative of Nibir’s mother, Naima Sultana, Bangladeshi expatriate journalist Shaogat Ali Sagar told The Daily ... Read more

3 Bangladeshi students dead, 1 injured after violent highway crash in Canada

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Three Bangladeshi students have died, and another is in critical condition, after a “very violent” crash on Highway 427 in Etobicoke on Tuesday morning. Ontario Provincial Police said the crash happened on the Highway 427 southbound off-ramp to Dundas Street at around 11:23 p.m. Monday. OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said the ... Read more

Registration for Hajj will initiate on February 8th

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The registration for Hajj under public and private management will get underway on Wednesday. According to the religious affairs ministry and the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh, depositing money for the Hajj registration will also begin on that day and continue till February 23, 2023. Aspirant pilgrims must abide by a ... Read more

Ganga Vilas, the world’s longest river cruise arrives in Mongla

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Ganga Vilas, the longest river cruise in the world, which will connect the Indian town of Varanasi with Diburgarh town in Assam with nearly half of the journey through Bangladesh territory, has reached Mongla Port in Bagerhat. On its arrival at the port yesterday, State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury ... Read more