Some 24,913 Bangladeshis, who fled trouble-torn Libya to Greece, Tunisia, Egypt and temporary camps at borders, are in the process of returning home.
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni yesterday said this at a press briefing, adding that some 11,000 Bangladeshi workers reached Tunisia since the North African country opened its border to the torrent of refugees Thursday night.
About 2,104 Bangladeshis will land in Greece with the assistance from their employing companies of Chinese, Russian, Korean, Turkish and Italian origins.
Foreign ministry sources said a total of 2,969 Bangladeshis, who were employed in Libya, have returned home until yesterday evening.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) is arranging evacuation of most of them and the government will repatriate at least 42. Employing companies are helping the rest.
“If situation demands the government will go for a full-scale evacuation,” said Dipu Moni.
“We are ready for any evolving situation as our prime concern is to ensure safety of our people in Libya,” Dipu Moni told a press briefing at the ministry yesterday.
Replying to a question, she said the government has no exact figure of Bangladeshis in Libya; it could be 50 to 60 thousand.
Meanwhile, with the help of the international community, aid agencies have been able to ease congestion at the Tunisian side of the frontier.
"Thanks to a rapid response from the international community, significant progress has been made with the evacuation of Egyptians and other nationalities from Tunisia," said Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Nevertheless, another 12,500 people still needed evacuation, said the spokeswoman.
Over 10,000 of them are Bangladeshis, and the UNHCR said two flights were planned for them yesterday, reports AFP.
Dipu Moni at meetings in Geneva on Tuesday requested IOM director general and ICRC president for steps to repatriate the Bangladeshi workers.
The government will share with the IOM a certain portion of the expenses of charter plane or ship in the evacuation operation. “We have our financial and manpower constraints to deal with the situation,” she said.
Replying to a question, Dipu Moni said some places within Libya were insecure while some were relatively safe where Bangladeshi workers can stay.
Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes, Expatriates' Welfare Secretary Zafar Ahmed Khan, Additional Foreign Secretary Mustafa Kamal and other high officials of both the ministries were present at the briefing.
Nazmul Islam, an official helping repatriate the Bangladeshis stuck at Tunisia border, told The Daily Star over the phone yesterday afternoon that around 3,000 Bangladeshis were living under the open sky while the rest are in the camps.
They would be soon shifted to the camps set up by the IOM and ICRC, he said, adding the international agencies are struggling to assist so large number of migrants.
There was no food crisis yet, he said, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was providing medicines to the sick.
As they travelled distances and were not bathing for days, they are desperate to fly home. "We are asking IOM for quick repatriation of our citizens. They are trying," the Bangladeshi official said, adding but the IOM has its limitation too.
Nazmul said only two officials of Bangladesh are managing travel documents for its refugees without passports. Engaging more officials could help accelerate the process, he noted.
He, however, said the influx of troubled Bangladeshis towards the border is now thin.
As per the information from the Egyptian side, around 5,000 Bangladeshis were staying on the no-man's land along Libya-Egypt border, he noted.
Shahjalal International Airport every day remains crowded with relatives inquiring about the arrival of the stranded Bangladeshis.
Abu Bakar of Sabujbagh, Dhaka said his younger brother Saju called him two days back, asking him to tell the government to bring him back soon.
"He is at the border for the last three days,” Bakar told The Daily Star at the airport yesterday. “If the government does not repatriate him soon, he said, he would die."
News Source: The Daily Star