Photo: Collected
Tanveer, the son of Meraj Mia from Devgram, Akhaura Police Station, Brahmanbaria, paid over 6 lakh taka to an agency to travel to Malaysia, hoping to secure a better future for his family. Unfortunately, his flight, scheduled for Friday, was canceled, leaving him devastated.
As Tanveer headed home that afternoon, he pondered how he would repay the debt and face his family. Overwhelmed by despair, he decided to end his life and jumped from the Meghna railway bridge in Bhairab, Kishoreganj. Despite a rescue operation launched by the local fire service, Tanveer could not be found.
Moniruzzaman, the officer in charge of the Bhairav Naval Police Outpost, reported that Tanveer fell into the Meghna River from a moving train and disappeared. Despite efforts from the fire service rescue teams, Tanveer could not be found and is presumed dead.
Tanveer's suicide has freed him from the burden of repaying the loan, but his family now faces immense worry over how to repay the debt. They are stricken with grief over the loss of their son and are now left disoriented and devastated. Tanveer's father, Meraj Mia, expressed his despair to reporters, saying, "What will I do now? I have only one son. I arranged the money with great difficulty to send my son to Malaysia in the hope of improving our family. Now everything is lost."
Tanveer's story is not unique. There are at least 30,000 families like his who are now in distress. Despite having arranged the funds, often through loans and selling land or houses, these families have been unable to send their loved ones to Malaysia for a better future. Now, they face the dual pressures of repaying the borrowed money and the uncertainty of whether they will ever be able to go, despite having visas and BMET clearance. The situation has left each family in tears, caught between financial pressure and unfulfilled dreams of a better life.
Saifullah from Singra upazila of Natore, was supposed to go to Malaysia on Friday (May 31). He had paid 620,000 taka to the Green Line Agency in Narayanganj, run by its owner, Abu, who had assured him of a ticket. On Friday morning, Saifullah arrived at the airport and called Abu for the ticket. Abu asked him to wait for a while, but after an hour, Saifullah found Abu's number disconnected.
Saifullah shared his distress, saying, "I have given 620,000 taka to that agency. Now they have cheated me. I have the visa, passport, and work permit, but no ticket. I have no choice but to contemplate suicide. I am still in Dhaka. How will I show my face? I am in a lot of trouble."
Another victim, Ilyas Hossain, echoed Saifullah's sentiments, stating, "This agency has destroyed my life. Why did they cheat us like this? We want justice."
In response to the plight of these workers, the Bangladeshi Ambassador to Malaysia, Shamim Ahsan, assured that the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur will continue its efforts to assist the workers who could not travel as scheduled.
The ambassador stated that the High Commission will continue to strive to bring those who received visas but could not travel to Malaysia, ensuring they can be brought quickly.
On the other hand, State Minister for Expatriate Welfare and Foreign Employment Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury has warned of taking action against those responsible for the crisis involving workers being sent to Malaysia. He mentioned that an inquiry committee would be formed to investigate the matter and actions would be taken based on the committee's recommendations.
He made these remarks while speaking to reporters on Saturday.
The state minister emphasised that the investigation committee will look into the reasons behind the failure to send workers to Malaysia and punitive actions will be taken against those involved in creating this crisis.
Blaming BAIRA, Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury said that the Malaysian government had allocated a quota to send over five lakh workers from Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi government worked to meet this quota by coordinating with BAIRA, an organisation of recruiting agents, to gather information on those who had received visas and those who had not. However, BAIRA failed to provide this list, which led to complications with the flights.
The state minister emphasised that the government had made every effort to address the issue, including arranging 22 special flights to send the workers later. Additionally, a letter was sent to the Malaysian government requesting an extension of the time allotted for sending the workers. Unfortunately, the letter has not yet received a response.
Incidentally, according to the Bangladesh Manpower Employment and Training Bureau (BMET), the Expatriate Welfare Ministry approved 523,834 workers to go to Malaysia until May 21. Although no further approvals were granted after May 21, BMET data indicates that the ministry subsequently approved an additional 1,112 workers to travel to Malaysia. This brings the total number of approved workers to 524,946 as of Thursday. Among these, 491,745 workers have already traveled to Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Ali Haider Chowdhury, secretary general of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira), told media that Baira and the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment are working together for the workers who could not go to Malaysia.
"Moreover, if any worker couldn't go due to the negligence of any agency, Baira will take appropriate action against them," he said.
Al Hera Overseas Managing Director Shahadat Hossain said, "A total of 25 workers from our agency could not go to Malaysia. I contacted the companies in Malaysia where they were supposed to work. They said the Malaysian government may take some steps for those workers who have e-visas."
Shahadat Hossain said if any worker could not go, their money would be returned through the broker concerned.
Thousands of aspirant migrant workers have been facing uncertainty and distress as they tried to reach Malaysia before the 31 May deadline set by authorities in the destination country due to the mismanagement and dubious dealings of a syndicate of recruiting agencies.
According to sector insiders, the deadline set by Malaysian authorities has left over 10,000 aspiring migrants still waiting for flights.
Messenger/Fameema
