The High Court yesterday asked the government to submit a report within four weeks on the steps it had taken to rescue its citizens adrift at sea and confined to the camps in Thailand and Malaysia.
In response to a writ petition, the court also issued a ruling upon the government to explain within that period as to why the government’s inaction to rescue the victims should not be declared illegal.
The bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo also asked the government to explain why it should not be ordered to try and punish the human traffickers under the Human Trafficking Deterrence and Suppression Act 2012.
The High Court came up with the rulings after hearing a writ petition by the National Forum for Protection of Human Rights.
The human rights organisation submitted the petition on May 26 seeking an order on the government to immediately rescue Bangladeshi victims at sea and also those detained in trafficking camps in Thailand and Malaysia.
It prayed to the High Court to direct the government to try and punish the traffickers through formation of special tribunals and also to ask explanation on why their inaction to rescue the victims Bangladeshi people would not be declared illegal.
The lawyer of the petitioner Tajul Islam argued at the court that few thousands of Bangladeshi people including women and children had reportedly been trafficked and many are drifting at the sea.
Standing on behalf of the state Deputy Attorney General Amatul Karim Swapna said the government had already taken steps to rescue the trafficked people.
