Govt maintaining regular contact with Saudi expatriates: Overseas Minister

Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury has said that the government is regularly monitoring the welfare of Bangladeshi expatriates in Saudi Arabia following an attack on an airport there.

The minister said the government was maintaining regular contact with expatriates in the kingdom and had also contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the relatives of patients.

He urged Bangladeshi nationals in Saudi Arabia to remain vigilant, maintain a safe distance from potential danger and contact the Bangladesh embassy if they encountered any problems.


He said legal proceedings were being initiated against the agencies and stressed the need to raise public awareness through the media to protect prospective migrant workers from fraud.

The minister also expressed concern over travel agencies becoming involved in sending workers abroad, saying overseas worker recruitment was not part of their authorised responsibilities.

He said the government planned to bring every stage of the overseas employment process under an online system to improve transparency and accountability.