Will Bangladesh ensure the safe return of detained migrants from Malaysia?

Hundreds of undocumented Bangladeshi workers were arrested in Malaysia as part of the crackdown the country against illegal migrants.

According to Malaysian newspapers, the National Immigration Department has apprehended a total of 1,224 foreign nationals since the start of the campaign on Monday.

The total includes 399 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, 164 from Indonesia, 157 from the Philippines, 109 from Myanmar, 43 from Thailand and 41 from Vietnam

The Bangladeshi Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Employment, Nomita Halder, said the country's detainees had not complied with the June 30 deadline set out in the Malaysia's Illegal Migrant Re-employment Program

. are illegal in Malaysia according to the law of the country and they must return, "she said.

"The ministry can only do one thing now – ensure the safe return of detained Bangladeshis."

Bangladeshi High Commissioner to Malaysia Sayedul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune that "most" undocumented Bangladeshi workers have taken the opportunity to rehire, which has been available since February 16, 2016. [19659004Hecouldnothowevergiveaprecisefigureforthem

"Bangladeshi illegal workers who have been detained may already return to Bangladesh after paying RM400 (Malaysian ringgit), otherwise they have to stay in prison," he said.

The rehire program was launched to provide illegal foreign workers with valid permits to work in certain sectors.

Now that the program is closed, Malaysia wants to repatriate undocumented migrants, as housing them in 13 detention centers across the country costs about RM 25 million a year.

However, they ask the government to reconsider their proposal and stop the repression immediately.

Many Bangladeshi workers have been legalized or are in the process of being treated, but those who are being applied by agents have been deceived.

Farique Ahmed, a rights-activist migrant and Secretary-General of the WARBE Development Foundation, suggested that detained workers may have been clean in the mobile.

"Most illegal migrants are illiterate and ignore the law," he said. "Malaysian unions should take into account the socio-economic situation of Bangladeshi illegal workers."

The general director of the Malaysian Department of Immigration, Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali, was insensitive. According to data from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), more than 960,000 Bangladeshi workers traveled to Malaysia with an immigration permit from 1976 and May 2018.