ISRAEL鈥橲 invasion of southern Lebanon, reportedly targeting Hezbollah which has a significant presence in both the Lebanese parliament and the government, has left about 1,000 civilians dead. And, Israel鈥檚 attacks have forced a good number of Bangladeshis who work as migrant workers mostly in apparel factories, hotels, hospitals and households in Lebanon, to live under the open sky without food and basic facilities. It is estimated more than 100,000 Bangladeshis work in all in Lebanon. Panic-stricken migrants have left the southern areas of the country, considered high-risk zones because of Israeli air strikes that have intensified since September 23, and took shelters on roads, in mosques, makeshift centres and other open spaces. Rain has intensified the sufferings of the people, not only of Bangladeshis but also citizens of other countries who are reported to be staying under the open sky as the areas they lived were either attacked or are at risk of attacks. What remains worrying in all this is that the Bangladeshis stranded under the open sky fail to get in touch with Bangladesh鈥檚 mission there to seek help.
Migrant workers there say that they were yet to get any report on the death of any Bangladeshis but several Bangladeshis have been missing and some have become injured until October 1. Several charity organisations and individuals are reported to have come to the aid of such people with their limited capacity, which could hardly cover all the people in distress. Migrant workers say that they have tried to reach out to the Bangladesh embassy in Beirut for food support and instructions on what to do in such a situation but say that they have not received the expected support. Bangladesh鈥檚 ambassador to Lebanon in a video message early on September 20 asked Bangladeshi migrants to contact the mission on the embassy鈥檚 helpline and hotline numbers it opened to help the migrants. The embassy in Beirut on September 27 in an emergency advisory advised Bangladeshis in Lebanon to stay in safe areas. The embassy also said that it had informed the Dhaka office of the situation and was trying to stand by the migrants. But the migrants allege that they called to the embassy but nobody in the embassy responded to their telephone calls. Bangladesh missions abroad have hardly been known for being helpful to migrant workers, who hold an important mainstay of Bangladesh鈥檚 economy through remittances. Such indolence and nonchalance of Bangladesh missions abroad have earlier been reported on many occasions.
The government and the embassy in Lebanon should, in such a situation, employ all the means that they can to help the migrant workers left precariously stranded and forced to pass their days under the open sky without food and basic facilities and ensure their safety.