DHAKA, October 23: State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam received the remains of Bangladeshi expatriate worker Md Shahed Ahmed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport this morning following his death in an attack at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 10.The flight carrying his body landed at the Dhaka airport at 8:35 am.Speaking to reporters at the airport, Shama said the repatriation was completed through coordination among several government ministries, including the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment.Shahed was a resident of Shahjahanpur upazila in Bogura district and leaves behind two children, she said.The state minister added that 10 Bangladeshi expatriates had been brought home following the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East, making Shahed the 11th deceased expatriate to be repatriated during this period.Expressing condolences to the bereaved family, Shama said the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare had provided financial assistance of Tk 50,000. A free ambulance had also been arranged to carry the remains to his village.Highlighting the large Bangladeshi community in Saudi Arabia, she said more than four million Bangladeshis live in the country.“This is why we remain deeply concerned whenever an incident affects our people there,” she said.Asked about two Bangladeshi nationals who were recently executed in Saudi Arabia, Shama said the government had sent an official letter to the Saudi authorities concerning the cases.She noted that each country follows its own judicial system and that repatriation or other intervention in such cases involves multiple procedures. The incidents involving the two individuals took place in 2023, she added.According to the state minister, approximately 7,500 Bangladeshis are currently imprisoned in different countries.She said the ministry takes steps to explore possible avenues of assistance whenever it learns that a Bangladeshi national has been sentenced abroad.Shama also urged Bangladeshis planning to work overseas to familiarise themselves with the laws and regulations of their destination countries. She said Bangladesh’s diplomatic missions were actively working to address issues affecting expatriates.On the rising cost of overseas employment, the state minister said the involvement of brokers was increasing migration expenses. She added that the prime minister had instructed her to examine the issue.
.png)
