Minister orders crackdown on brokers fuelling irregular migration from Sunamganj

Photo : Collected

Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury today ordered swift action against brokers who lure youths from Sunamganj into irregular migration, often putting their lives at risk.

While addressing a meeting at the Sunamganj deputy commissioner’s conference room on ensuring safe migration and preventing irregular journeys abroad, he said that the brokers must be identified quickly and brought to justice, he said.

The directive comes amid repeated deaths of Bangladeshis attempting to reach Europe from Libya through the Mediterranean.

In March, at least 18 Bangladeshis died while trying to reach Greece, of which, 12 of them were from Sunamganj. Earlier this month, another nine Bangladeshis died after a Greece-bound boat drifted in the Mediterranean for 11 days without adequate food and water.

The minister stressed that migrants should travel abroad legally, acquire job skills and learn relevant languages before departure. He said the ministry would provide logistical support if suitable locations in Sunamganj were identified for technical training centres and language courses.

Ariful also called for raising awareness about the dangers of irregular migration, urging religious leaders in mosques, temples and churches to inform people about the risks and the benefits of legal channels. “I hope this awareness campaign will begin from Sunamganj,” he said.

The meeting was chaired by Sunamganj Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Minhajur Rahman. Sunamganj-5 MP Kalim Uddin Ahmed, Sunamganj-4 MP Nurul Islam, Sunamganj-3 MP Mohammad Koyser Ahmed, Sunamganj-1 MP Kamruzzaman Kamrul, and Sunamganj Zila Parishad Administrator Md Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury attended as special guests.

Sylhet Divisional Commissioner Md Mashiur Rahman, Sylhet Range DIG Dr Md Zillur Rahman, Sunamganj Superintendent of Police ABM Zakir Hossain, and local political figures were also present.