Former president AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury has criticised the government for its alleged lack of efforts to rescue Bangladeshis stranded at the sea.
At a discussion in Dhaka on Friday, he said he had heard that some 10,000 victims of human trafficking were floating in seas near Indonesia and Malaysia.
“How many ministers and secretaries went to Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar to rescue these people? And how many helicopters and navy ships have been sent there?
“It will be a shame if nothing is done,” the Bikalpadhara Bangladesh chief said.
UN refugee agency UNHCR said an estimated 25,000 Bangladeshi and Rohingyas boarded traffickers’ boats in the first three months of this year, twice as many compared to the same period of 2014.
Myanmar Rohingyas and Bangladeshis try to cross into Southeast Asian countries on smugglers’ rickety boats to escape persecution and poverty, often endangering their lives.
The UN last week urged the Southeast Asian nations to protect the rights of the migrants and refugees stranded at sea.
Myanmar on Friday claimed to have rescued 200 Bangladeshi migrants from the sea.
Former president Chowdhury claimed the government ‘had no concern’ about the stranded people although many countries had come forward to voice their concerns over the development.
“They (the government) are silent even as many Bangladeshis are floating in the sea. This shame eclipses all achievements,” he said.
He said those ministers heading ministries like the expatriates welfare, health and foreign affairs ‘should have’ gone there and quickly solve the problems.
Last week, Malaysia and Indonesia said they would allow thousands adrift at sea to come ashore temporarily.
The UNHCR on Friday estimated that some 3,500 migrants are still stranded on boats with dwindling supplies.
Media reports say Bangladeshis numbering between 2,000 and 3,000 have been detained by the three Southeast Asian countries in recent weeks.
But State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal last week said the number was far fewer.
The International Organisation for Migration said it would assist Bangladesh to bring back its nationals.
Bangladesh has undertaken a Tk 4.6 billion project to strengthen the coastguards to curb human trafficking and illegal activities on its shore.
Source: Bd news24
