Repatriation to be arranged for Bangladeshi workers 'as soon as borders open'

Bangladeshi workers who wish to return home will be repatriated as soon as borders open, says Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail.

While speaking at Saturday's press briefing at the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), the minister stated that repatriation arrangements are underway following discussions between Maldives' Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Shahid and his Bangladeshi counterpart.

Highlighting that over 837 migrant workers have registered for repatriation, the minister disclosed that only 130 had the required travel documents.

Thus, work is underway to secure travel documentation for the remaining registered migrants in collaboration with the relevant embassies, said Fayyaz, adding that the migrants will be repatriated as soon as Bangladesh's borders open.

He also stated that the increasing undocumented migrant population is a concern and that the government is making efforts to solve this issue. As such, the ministry reveals that a total of 1362 unskilled workers and 38 skilled workers from Bangladesh were allowed into the country since the moratorium imposed on importing Bangladeshi migrant workers, last September.

An estimate of 105,000 migrant workers currently work in the Maldives. This amount includes an overwhelming number of migrants without documentation such as passports and work visas. Immigration put the estimates at about 60,000.

While reports have found that most migrants are either victims of human traffickers or discriminatory employers, this community is at high risk for outbreaks due to lack of access to healthcare and inhumane living conditions.

In Bangladesh, where the army has been deployed across the country to enforce social distancing measures, the government has extended the nationwide lockdown to Apr 25.