Bangladeshi migrants stranded in war-torn Lebanon demanded that the authorities extend the time for registering for evacuation.
The Bangladesh mission in Beirut, however, in a Facebook post on Friday announced that it would not extend the deadline. Migrants were asked to complete the process by 12:00pm on Friday.
Migrants alleged that聽 validity of passports of many migrants expired but couldn鈥檛 renew those while others could not complete the process for a lack of facilities.
Bangladesh鈥檚 first labour secretary in Beirut Mohammad Anwar Hossain said that in the first phase they had no scope to extend time because they immediately needed to know the number of aspirants who wanted to return home.
鈥榃e will allow enlistment by the last hour of Friday. We must inform Dhaka about the number of aspirant migrants so that the authorities can set an evacuation plan. If necessary, we will ask for applications again,鈥� he said.
The embassy is not sure how many Bangladeshis are enlisted to return home, he added.
Expatriate Firuz Dakua said that Bangladesh government鈥檚 initiative to return migrants failed to make a positive impact on migrants.
He added that migrants employed in the southern part of Lebanon welcomed the initiatives highly and accepted the opportunity.聽
Migrant Aminul Islam said that he had been living in an area where there were no printing or communication facilities. He wanted to back home but couldn鈥檛 fill in the form that required some information such as two Lebanese numbers.
Migrant Md Salman said that the validity of his passport expired already and he needed a renewal of his passport.
Bangladesh mission in Beirut on Wednesday asked migrants in Lebanon, willing to return home amid increasing airstrikes by Israeli forces, to give their information in a designated form by October 12.
In an announcement, the embassy requested the stranded migrants in the war-torn Lebanon to fill in a prescribed form and submit it to embassy鈥檚 email address: [email protected]
The Bangladesh mission came up with the initiative a day after the foreign adviser Md Touhid Hossain announced that evacuation of Bangladeshis from the west Asian country would be started in cooperation with the International Organisation for Migration.
He said that Dhaka requested the IOM to arrange chartered flights to bring back Bangladeshis willing to leave Lebanon amid airstrikes by Israel.
The foreign affairs ministry in a press release said that the expatriates鈥� welfare ministry was also working collectively to bring the migrants back home immediately.
Migrant workers in different shelters were trying to return home as Israel increased attacks on Lebanon and killed several thousand people so far.
Stranded Bangladeshis alleged that they were living inhuman lives in war-ravaged Lebanon because of shortage of food, drinking water, and shelter.
They urged the government to take them back home immediately as the situation had been deteriorating in the West Asian country since Israel intensified attacks further since Sunday night.
According to media reports, at least 2,000 people, including dozens of children, were killed since Israel intensified a bombing campaign in Lebanon on September 23.
According to Bangladesh鈥檚 Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training statistics, at least 2,67,364 Bangladeshis had migrated into the country since 2002. Of them, 61,786 migrated since 2015.
Migrants estimated that over one lakh Bangladeshi migrants were now working in the West Asian country.