The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Another group of 50 Bangladeshi workers were sent back home from Kuwait, bringing the tally to 363 deported so far for taking part in agitation for better working condition and payment of agreed wages in the Gulf State.

Nazir Hossain immigration desk in charge of ZIA said at least 50 more Bangladeshi workers returned from Kuwait yesterday by a Qatar Airways flight at Zia International Airport at 8:30am.

However, Hossain added, "Immigration here cannot ascertain the exact number of such deportees arriving with regular passports, unless they notify us expressly about their situation."

So far, at least 363 workers have been deported from Kuwait up to Sunday, according to immigration counts.

The Kuwaiti authorities sent back 78 Bangladeshi workers late on Wednesday, followed by another 123 on Thursday, 27 on Friday, and 85 on Saturday. All the returnees complained of abuse by their employers and police brutalities.

On July 26, South Asian workers in Kuwait, including Bangladeshis, demonstrated as their Kuwaiti employers denied them the agreed wages.

The Bangladeshi workers alleged they were supposed to get 50 Kuwaiti Dinar a month but they were paid much less than that.

The Kuwait government started deporting Bangladeshi workers back last week alleging that they had been involved in assaults on police and vandalising vehicles during a workers' strike for better pay and allowances. The Kuwaiti authorities announced that they would examine video footage and photographs of protesting workers to find out those responsible for violence during the strike, and deport them.

Police arrested at least 800 Bangladeshi workers during the demonstrations, of whom 300 were later released as no charges could be brought against them.

The government assured Bangladesh mission officials that all "innocent" workers would be spared after investigations, but deportees allege that Kuwaiti law enforcers have been detaining Bangladeshi workers and persecuting them before deportation.

One deportee from Kuwait told reporters at ZIA yesterday: "The Kuwaiti government is hardly checking now whether any of us was involved with the recent strike or not."

"They are simply taking all the Bangladeshi workers to the repatriation centre, where the Kuwaiti police and army personnel deployed there are harassing them, and finally packing them onto Dhaka-bound flights," said one of the returnees.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has also continued to deport Bangladeshi workers on charges of violating local laws. The kingdom has deported 257 Bangladeshis since last week on charges of violating Saudi laws by overstaying, or not having passports or valid work permits.