Bangladesh News

Malaysia has taken in most of the 532 Bangladeshi workers who were stranded in Kuala Lumpur International Airport for around 12 days since the cancellation of 55,000 work visas.

On Thursday, employers and outsourcing companies received around 300 workers from the immigration section, said sources close to recruitment business.

Earlier last week, 184 were allowed entry. They arrived in the KL airport on March 8

and 9.

“The immigration authorities are also allowing in those returning from vacation,” said a Bangladeshi businessman in Malaysia.

Following the Malaysian government’s cancellation of 55,000 work visas to Bangladeshis, the immigration barred all workers including those who had been coming back to work after vacation at home.

In response, the Bangladesh government told its Southeast Asian counterpart that those who had already arrived there should be let in on humanitarian grounds.

Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) President Ghulam Mostafa said most of the employers have received their workers. Only a few have yet to collect theirs still stranded in the airport.

The Malaysian immigration followed a strict procedure though while allowing the workers. Before handing over the visa holders, it interviewed the employers to be sure if they really have the capacity to recruit them.

Meanwhile, at least 92 workers yesterday returned home from abroad with special travel passes.

Of them, 30 returned from Malaysia, 50 from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), six from Singapore and six from Pakistan.

The returnees from Malaysia were unemployed and could not renew work permits while those from the UAE were either undocumented workers or had lost jobs of late.

The workers who got back from Pakistan had overstayed their visas there, said an official at the Zia International Airport.