Govt to resend 68 expats to UAE on priority basis
They were rejected to enter in the UAE on early Sunday
Sixty-eight Bangladeshi returnees from Abu Dhabi will be sent back to their destination country under government management or through the respective airlines on a priority basis.
They were rejected to enter the UAE on early Sunday and landed in Bangladesh through the flights of Biman Bangladesh Airlines on Monday morning.
The decision was taken at a virtual inter-ministerial meeting on Monday, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment.
The 68 Bangladeshis have also staged a protest at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Monday and demanded government intervention so that they can return to the UAE.
During the meeting, Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Imran Ahmad MP said all concerned should work to make sure that the expatriate workers can return to their destination country without any hindrance.
"After completing health tests as per the demand of the destination country, it is necessary to make arrangements to send them abroad with the required documents," said the minister.
Shariful Hasan, head of the Brac migration programme, said, "According to the UAE government rules, airlines have to exchange Advanced Passenger Information (API) from Abu Dhabi Immigration before bringing their passengers."
But many passengers have been rejected to land in Abu Dhabi as Biman did not provide information to Abu Dhabi Immigration on how many passengers it was bringing from Dhaka, he said.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh will send a report to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism within the next five working days.
In the report, they will explain the actual reasons behind the return of 68 expatriate workers from Abu Dhabi on Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
Based on the report, the passengers returning to the country on the above flight will be re-sent to the destination country by the concerned airlines or government management.
Following the inter-ministerial meeting, all the passengers who have booked tickets for Biman Bangladesh Airlines will be provided with tickets in their favour on the next flights on priority basis. And in this case, the passengers will not have to pay any extra cost for the ticket.
Considering the Covid-19 situation, the meeting also decided to take further steps to increase the number of flights; take necessary steps to ensure fair pricing for tickets of other airlines including Bangladesh Biman.
Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Dr Ahmed Munirus Saleheen hosted the event.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali MP, among others, also participated in the meeting.
