The government yesterday decided to issue over three lakh machine readable passports (MRP) to the undocumented Bangladeshis in Malaysia to help expedite their regularisation process.
Following Malaysia's decision to regularise undocumented foreign workers, including around three lakh Bangladeshis, an inter-ministerial meeting was held at the home ministry.
Chaired by Home Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder, the meeting was attended by officials of various ministries, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia and the Department of Immigration and Passport.
Malaysia's decision has not been officially announced yet, but diplomatic missions of countries of foreign workers were notified of it last week.
"We will take a crash programme to issue the MRPs which is the best way to enhance our image abroad," Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Dr Zafar Ahmed Khan told The Daily Star.
"We shall send additional staff to Malaysia by June 15, to do the job," Zafar said.
Other ministries including the expatriates' welfare and foreign affairs and home minister will extend all required assistance, the secretary said.
Director-General of the Department of Passports Abdul Mabud said there are no exact figures regarding the number of passports required.
"However, we will issue around four lakh MRPs," he said, adding, "We have adequate capacity, but would appoint locals from Malaysia, if required."
The process will start shortly and will be completed in three months, sources said.
Mantu Kumar Biswas, labour counsellor at the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, said the undocumented workers willing to get regularised will have to provide their biometric features for registration.
Currently, there are around five lakh Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia. Malpractices led to a ban on recruitment early 2009 and many Bangladeshi workers became undocumented.
Failing to return home for not having job or travel documents, they have been facing threats of arrest and deportation.
Source: The Daily Star (May 24, 2011)
No comments:
Post a Comment