Thirty Bangladeshi nationals who had been detained at an immigration centre in Cambodia after being rescued from scam centres are scheduled to return home on Tuesday.
They are expected to arrive in Dhaka at 12:10pm on Thai Airways flight TG-321.
Expatriates’ Welfare Wing of the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board, under the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, had instructed the First Secretary (Labour) at the Bangladesh Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, to take the necessary steps to secure the release of the 30 Bangladeshis.
In a letter signed by Mohammad Zakir Hossain, deputy director (IRP) of the board, the embassy’s labour wing was asked to arrange their release and expedite their return to Bangladesh following an application by the Anirban Survivor Voice Foundation.
On 3 September, Cambodian immigration police detained 32 Bangladeshis at Phnom Penh airport as they were preparing to return home. Although two of them were released, the remaining 30 were held at the country’s immigration detention centre.
The 30 workers are Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid, Abdul Wadud, Md Tarlib Hasan Titul, Sumit Chandra Das, Rakib Hossain, Bappi Das, Md Labon Sheikh, Mohammad Abdur Rahman, Md Billal Hossain, Md Mostafa, Nur Nabi, Mohammad Emon Ali, Md Barkatullah, Rubel Mia, Ali Ahmed, Zahidul Islam, Shamsul Alam, Mohammad Abdur Rahman, Abu Jaher Sabuj, Shawon, Nahid Dhali, Raju Hossain, Mohammad Tayeb Ali Sheikh, Simon Bhuiyan, Md Rashedul, Mohammad Akash Ahmed, Shimul Ali, Ashikur Rahman, Md Alamin PK and Mohammad Kabir.
The letter instructed the relevant authorities to take the necessary measures in accordance with procedures to secure their release and arrange their return to Bangladesh as soon as possible.
The workers had been taken to Cambodia by trafficking networks after being lured with promises of attractive salaries. After arriving in the country, many were allegedly forced to work in cyber-scamming operations or other online fraud centres, where they were held against their will. They were also subjected to abuse when they attempted to escape.
Subsequently, the workers gathered at the Cambodian airport to return home through a process arranged by the country’s authorities on 3 September.
However, during immigration checks, police arrested them over issues including their irregular immigration status and other complications.
