Bangladeshi expats to protest 2 compatriots’ death in Maldives

Bangladeshi nationals living in Male' have decided to hold a peaceful agitation in front of Bangladesh High Commission tomorrow protesting the deaths of two compatriots and the attack on two others.

Shaheen Mia, 25, and Bilal, around 25, were killed in separate incidents in Male' this week.

Shaheen was stabbed to death in a Malé café in the morning of March 22, while Bilal was found dead in Alif Alif Atoll Thoddoo Island on March 25 night.

Two Bangladeshi nationals were also were attacked in the evening of March 24, Tuesday in the Haveeree Hingun area of capital Male, reports Haveeru Online.

However, Maldives police has ruled out any link between the murders and Tuesday's attacks.

The peaceful protest is scheduled to begin after the Friday prayers.

Bangladesh High Commissioner in Male' Rear Admiral Kazi Sarwar Hossain met with Maldives President Abdullah Yameen regarding this matter. He is in constant touch with the Home Minister and the Police Commissioner of Maldives on the issue, and has urged the migrants to remain calm and cautious.

Meanwhile, the Maldives authorities have threatened to cancel the visas of the migrant workers including Bangladeshis in the wake of the call for protest, reports local media.

The protesting for rights is against the terms of expatriates' work permits, said Mohamed Anwar, controller of immigration and emigration, in a statement.

"The immigration department will not hesitate in penalizing those who participate in protests," he said, adding that the employers should remind the migrant workers to respect Maldivian laws.

Vice President of Human Rights Commission in Maldives Ahmed Tholal said such ban on protest was "unconstitutional".

"The constitution guarantees every person on Maldivian soil the right to protest. A clause in a migrant worker's contract cannot override the constitution," he told Male' based Minivan News.

 "We sleep in dire conditions. We don't get enough food to satisfy our hunger. We work all the time. On top of that, they are attacking and killing us now. This is inhumane," a Bangladeshi national told Channel News Maldives (CNM).

According to unofficial figures, around 70,000 to 80,000 thousand Bangladeshis live in Maldives.