A total of 217 more Bangladeshi workers have been deported by Saudi Arabia, raising the number to over 2,500 in last three weeks.

The 217 workers returned to Bangladesh between last night and early today. Among them, 103 workers returned on a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight SV804 at 11:20pm last night and the other 114 returned on another Saudi Arabian Airlines flight SV802 at 1:10am today, according to the Brac Expatriates’ Welfare Desk.

The returnees were provided support by the Brac Migration Programme.

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KSA deported 1,800 in 18 days

“From the statements of the returnees, it is clear that they all went to KSA with hope for better future after being influenced by brokers and recruiting agencies. However, after they went to KSA they faced many problems. Many of them did not get any salary. A number of them returned within a few months after going to KSA,” said Shariful Hasan, head of Brac Migration Programme.

“They are all now worried about their future. Recruiting agencies have to come up with the responsibility to make sure that no worker returns home empty handed. Also, the government and the country’s missions abroad have to investigate these issues, especially fraudulent activities in the name of providing the workers free visas,” he said.

Over 2,500 workers returned KSA in the last three weeks. Earlier in 2019, Saudi Arabia deported 25,789 Bangladeshi workers, Hasan also said.

Referring to data of the expatriates’ welfare desk, Hasan said a total of 64,638 workers were deported to Bangladesh empty handed last year. Besides KSA, the returnees from other countries include: 15,389 from Malaysia; 6,117 from UAE; 7,366 from Oman; 2,525 from Maldives; 2,012 from Qatar; 1,448 from Bahrain; and 479 from Kuwait.

All concerned government and non-government entities have to stand beside them, he added.