The body of a Bangladeshi expatriate has been lying in a hospital in Brunei for the last seven months.
Shepon Howlader, 44, suffered a heart attack on January 30 and died while undergoing treatment at Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Hospital (Ripas).
He is the son of the late Jaynal Abedin Howladar of Shahjira village under Gournadi upazila of Barisal.
He took out loans from NGOs and locals before moving to Brunei over two years ago so that he could improve his family's financial condition, said Shepon’s wife, Khorsheda Begum, 35.
Shepon worked as a landscaper there, she mentioned.
For his treatment, Khorsheda Begum sent Tk1.5 lakh to Brunei through their nephew Md Lalon by taking out loans.
However, due to financial constraints, Shepon’s family could not bring the body back to Bangladesh.
The family has sought the intervention of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Barisal-1 constituency MP Abul Hasanat Abdullah and the Expatriate Welfare Bureau to send Shepon’s body to his homeland.
Khorsheda Begum also mentioned that she had made a written request to the director general of the Wage Earners Welfare Board so that Shepon’s body could be brought back to Bangladesh.
Later, she was informed that the Bangladesh embassy in Brunei had been asked to look into the matter.
However, that was the last thing Khorsheda was informed in this regard.