"We had to stay at the airport without required food, sleep and shower as we could not procure air tickets," said Nazrul Islam, one of the returnees.

Nazrul, who hails from Rajoir upazila in Madaripur district, stayed in Malaysia for 10 years and the last three years without any legal documents.

He was among those who returned by an Emirates flight.

Officials at Zia International Airport said some 170 Bangladeshis returned by an Emirates flight and 15 by a Bangladesh Biman flight. "Another 15-20 are coming by an MAS flight," said one official.

The amnesty ended on February 28 and the Bangladeshis took shelter at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) before the deadline.

Hailing from Barura in Comilla, Mohammad Yunus was in Malaysia for the last eight years and returned by a Biman flight.

"We preferred to stay inside the airport for the last four days to avert arrest as the time limit of our work permits had expired," Yunus said.

Both Nazrul and Yunus said there are many Bangladeshis whose work permits' time limit was over but they could not return home before expiry of the amnesty because they could not manage air tickets.

"Now they cannot even go to the airport as Malaysian police will arrest them," said Nazrul.

He had telephoned Bangladesh High Commission to talk to the high commissioner, he said. " But a personal staff of the high commissioner wanted to know why I needed him. When I said we are not being able to collect tickets, the staff rebuked us and hung up," he added.

"We were always apprehending arrest. That is why we stayed together at the airport so that either we will return together or be arrested together," said another

returnee, Mohammad Selim, who hails from Bogra.

Many of the returnees said they expect the government to consider their case with sympathy as they returned empty-handed.

"I went to Malaysia when I was 14 and I am 24 now. I could not come to my country in the last 10 years. I have no money now, and I do not know how I will go home," Nazrul said.

Our Staff Corespondent reports: The government has confirmed the arrest of three Bangladeshis in Malaysia since a crackdown on illegal foreign workers began this month.

Sources in the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment said Bangladesh mission in Kuala Lumpur confirmed the arrest but identities of the three are yet to be known.

The embassy is keeping a watch on the situation, the sources said.

State Minister for Expatriate Welfare Mohammad Quamrul Islam told The Daily Star last night

the number of illegal Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia is very small. The Bangladesh mission is providing them all help to return home. It is issuing travel pass to workers who lost passport and other documents.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur decided to take back those workers who left Malaysia during the period of amnesty last year. Around 8, 000 such Bangladeshis have already been enlisted and they are in the process of going back, sources said.

Around 1.13 lakh Bangladeshi workers are now in Malaysia with valid documents. Thousands came back home as Kuala Lumpur cracked down on illegal foreign workers several times in the last couple of years.

In mid-90s, the number of Bangladeshi workers in that country was over half a million and fresh recruitment remains suspended since 1997.