IOM to repatriate rescued Bangladeshis

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) will repatriate the Bangladeshis rescued from boats in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

“Following requests from the government of Bangladesh, IOM has decided to repatriate the migrants only after they are identified by the Bangladesh embassies,” Asif Munier, spokesman for the IOM in Bangladesh, told The Daily Star.

He said that the inter-governmental agency has already released an emergency fund of $1 million to send them back home.

Recently, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have rescued over 3,000 people of which almost half might be Bangladeshi nationals.

Besides, approximately 6,000 people are estimated to be drifting in boats in Andaman Sea and Malacca Straits.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, on the other hand, will take care of the Rohingyas of Myanmar, he said.