Hire workers from Bangladesh
Dhaka urges Tokyo, Male
DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT
Bangladesh has requested Japan and the Maldives to recruit workers from the country. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam made the request during meetings in Male with Maldivian Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Kazuyuki Nakane, a foreign ministry press release said yesterday. The state minister is currently in Maldives to represent Bangladesh in the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Independence of Maldives.
On the sidelines of the celebration programme, Shahriar Alam held a bilateral meeting with Maldivian Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon. The State Minister said that Bangladesh has a large pool of skilled and semi-skilled workers in different trades which could meet the manpower requirement of Maldives in various sectors. Shahriar Alam also stressed on opening a direct shipping link between Bangladesh and Maldives and the removal of some trade barriers by the Maldivian government.
The state minister urged the Maldivian government as well as private entrepreneurs to use their expertise and invest in this area in Bangladesh, especially in the deep sea fishing. Meanwhile, at the meeting with Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Kazuyuki Nakane, the state minister appreciated Japans invitation to Bangladeshi construction workers to participate in the Foreign Construction Worker Acceptance Program for 2020 Olympic and Paralympics works,
and for the reconstruction works in the Great East tsunami devastated area, under the Technical Intern Training Programme (TITP).
He also requested the Japanese government to consider recruiting skilled construction workers from Bangladesh directly, without having to participate in the TITP.
