The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

The government has taken some steps to stop Bangladeshi workers from going illegally to Iraq and Kurdistan including introducing 'ok to board' system experimentally at Dubai airport under Biman's initiative.

The decision was taken yesterday at an inter-ministerial meeting with adviser for foreign affairs and expatriate welfare and overseas employment Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury in the chair at the foreign ministry.

The meeting also decided to carefully perform immigration formalities of the workers bound for Kuwait and Dubai on tourist and transit visas, according to a press release. The government, however, put restriction on sending workers to Iraq.

The meeting also discussed about the possibility of putting a ban on workers travelling to Kuwait and Dubai on tourist and transit visas since those routes are considered safe for sending workers to Iraq and Kurdistan.

A final decision in this regard will be taken after getting detail information on how many passengers are going to those places on tourist and transit visas, the meeting was informed.

Later talking to newsmen, the adviser said that a record number of 8.32 lakh workers were employed abroad last year and the number has been increasing this year.

He hoped that remittances from the expatriates might reach nine billion US dollars. "Our workers are not revenue earning machines, he said adding we must look after their interest so that they are not cheated or harassed," he said.

Foreign secretary M Touhid Hossain, expatriate welfare secretary Abdul Matin Chowdhury, civil aviation and tourism secretary Syed Mohammad Zubair, BMET director general Abdul Malek, managing director of Biman Dr MA Momen and additional IG of special branch of police Baharul Alam were present.