Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said no one needs to go abroad illegally by selling off everything one has to catch the 'Golden Deer', which might cost one's life. "Many people go abroad in search of Golden Deer. This is correct that many people can change their fate and our country also gets benefited...there's no doubt about it. But, I think, there's no need at all to go to another country illegally," she said.

The prime minister was speaking at a civic reception accorded to her at Hotel  Okura. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in Tokyo on a four-day official tour to Japan to attend the Nikkei international conference on the Future of Asia.

Sheikh Hasina said many people are selling off their houses and lands to step into the uncertain path of going abroad. "They even don't know where their job is and what awaits them."

She further said, "May be the middlemen showed them big dreams and people started chasing that dream, and they finally lost their lives."

The prime minister said the government has introduced a registration system in all digital centres across the country for overseas jobseekers and their lists will be preserved at the Expatriate Welfare Ministry. "Anyone can go abroad after checking the nature of job, salary and other necessary information regarding the job."

The prime minister said the government is providing training to overseas jobseekers so that they could get better jobs as well as set up Prabashi Kalyan Bank to give them loan.  

She said the overseas jobseekers don not need to sell their houses and lands as there is provision in the bank to provide collateral-free loans to the extremely poor people.

"Having so much opportunity, I don't know why people are going abroad spending Tk 8 lakh and die sinking in the sea," she said.

Hasina said if one does business using Tk 2-4 lakh in Bangladesh one can earn money. "There was no need to spoil the life and money this way. No one should go abroad this way to destroy one's own life," she said.

Mentioning that 100 economic zones are being set up across the country, she said there will be huge investment as well as jobs, and the lifestyle of people will improve.

The premier recalled the contributions of expatriates towards developing the country and urged them to come up with to invest in Bangladesh.

She called on the expatriate Bangladeshis to abide by the laws of the respective countries they are living in.

Terming the relations between Bangladesh and Japan as heart-to-heart ones, Hasina said Japan is a friendly nation to Bangladesh since its independence in 1971. "Japan is our trusted friend, we've excellent relations now, our export to Japan is increasing ...their investment in Bangladesh is also increasing... make sure that this excellent relationship continues."

"They (Japan) have made huge investment in Bangladesh and we want more Japanese investment in our country," Hasina said.

She also mentioned about the Matarbari coal-based power plants in Cox's Bazar and said the aim of the government is to develop Bangladesh socioeconomically. She said the poverty rate in the country has declined significantly over the last 10 years during the tenure of her government while the literacy rate increased. "Bangladesh is now a food surplus country."

"To develop every sector, the government has taken long-term plans as we've come to power to serve people...we're the servants of people," she said.

Hasina said her aim is to bring smile to the faces of poor people, which was the dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Following the footsteps of Bangabandhu, she said her government has been able to turn Bangladesh into a developing county and it has the conviction to make the country as the developed one.

State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Imran Ahmad, State Minister for Foreign Minister M Shariar Alam, Bangladeshi expatriates in Japan Saleh Mohammad Arif and Sakura Saber also spoke at the programme.

Bangladesh Ambassador to Japan Rabab Fatima conducted the event.