37 victims to return home on Friday
Human trafficking
One more batch of 37 Bangladeshi human trafficking victims will come back home. They were rescued by the Myanmar navy on 22 May. The group will come back on Friday, 19 June from Myanmar through the Ghundum border point in Naikhyongchari upazilla of Bandarban district.
A BGB team led by 17 Battalion Commanding Officer Lt Col Sayeed will receive them after holding a flag meeting with the Myanmar Border Police. On 8 June, another 150 human trafficking victims had returned from Myanmar. On 15 June 47 victims had returned home, after being rescued by the Thai authorities from the Andaman Sea last year.
Currently, more than 4,000 people are reported to be stranded in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar.
Thailand had launched a crackdown on people-smuggling gangs in May this year. This came in the wake of news that a number of people had been reportedly killed by the traffickers, mainly in Thailand and Malaysia. Last month the Malaysian police discovered at least 140 graves at 28 suspected human-smuggling camps, which are strung along its northern border. Another 139 graves were discovered in Thailand.
With the return of the latest group of victims, 215 Bangladeshi victims will have returned to the country from Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia.
This includes the return of 18 victims on 12 June, who were rescued from the Andaman Sea by the Indonesian authorities around three months ago.
Joint Secretary of Home Ministry Mostafizur Rahman told The Independent that they were brought back after confirming their nationalities through police verification.
We will bring back all the Bangladeshi trafficking victims rescued by the authorities of Thailand, Myanmar and Malaysia after confirming their nationality, he said.
Sources in the home ministry said that they have received names of 4,038 Bangladeshi trafficking victims who are staying in different refugee camps in Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. The Special Branch (SB) of police has already verified the nationalities of 3,070 trafficking victims and the Home Ministry has asked the Foreign Ministry to take steps for their return home, sources added.
