With less than two weeks left for the amnesty deadline to go, Bangladeshi expatriates raised a furor outside their consulate premises in Jeddah on Monday as they got frustrated over their inability to get fingerprinted and obtain exit visas.
The crowd was controlled immediately, reports The Arab News.
“Everything is okay. People got angry because of the situation and the hot weather. They were controlled by the consulate and made to understand that those who have registered with the consulate don’t have to worry as their paperwork is under process,” said Muhammad Nazmul Islam, the consul general of Bangladesh.
He said the workers went back to re-form queues after the consulate pacified them.
Badar Alam, a Bangladeshi worker, told Arab News that individuals who want to return to Bangladesh were worried as they couldn’t get fingerprinted.
“Almost 4,000 people came to the consulate. They were worried and angry as our turn at the Tarheel is only once a week and the July 3 deadline is nearing.
The consulate should do something,” he said, adding that the consulate has assured them that they need not worry even after the amnesty period as their names have been registered with them.
“Though the consulate has already issued their permits, the workers were disappointed at the Tarheel, where they couldn’t complete the biometrics procedure. Today was our turn and they thought all of them will get their work done, but unfortunately only 500 to 600 were fingerprinted,” Islam said.
More than 10,000 Bangladeshi workers registered for obtaining exit permits, of which only 2,000 were fingerprinted and only 1000 obtained their exit stamps.
Source: UNBConnect
