Bangladesh requests Maldives to recruit new workers

Bangladesh has requested Maldives to recruit new workers from it and regularise undocumented Bangladeshi migrants soon.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to Maldives, Rear Admiral SM Abul Kalam Azad, made the request at a meeting with Maldives' Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail yesterday (May 19, 2022).

There are currently about 100,000 Bangladeshi expatriates in the island nation of Maldives. Of them, about 50,000 workers have been working irregularly.

In September 2019, the government of Maldives stopped recruiting new workers from Bangladesh. On the other hand, migrant workers from other countries are constantly going to the Maldives.

Minister Fayyaz Ismail was requested to provide necessary assistance in the issues.

The minister stressed on the regularisation of undocumented Bangladeshi workers and assured of assistance in recruiting new workers.

The meeting also discussed enhancing trade relations between the two countries.

Deputy Ministers of Economic Development Riyaz Mansoor and Mariyam Nazima and First Secretary of Bangladesh Mission Sohel Parvez were present at the meeting.

The writer is an expatriate journalist living in Maldives.