The Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry has fined three officials of Thengamara Mohila Sabuj Sangha (TMSS), a microcredit NGO, for trying to send migrant workers to Japan by irregular means.
On Monday, Executive Magistrate Masuma Parveen, also a deputy secretary of the ministry, fined each of the officials Tk3.5 lakhunder the Overseas Employment & Migrants Act 2013.
The accused persons are: Nigar Sultana, director (ICT); Mamunur Rashid, deputy director; and BabluSarwar, zonal manager.
Apparently they forged the documents of a Japanese company and tried to send migrant workers abroad without the government's authorization. This according to Major Mohammad Jahangir Alam of RAB-3, who led the drive at the TMSS headquarters in Dhaka’s Mirpur-10.
“They ran advertisements on daily newspapersabout sending workers overseas without due authorization. They had made attempts to send workers at a cost of Tk 8 lakh for each person,” said Major Jahangir. He added that the microcredit NGOhad been providing training to some of the would-be migrants, but none hadyet been sent to Japan.
TMSS was established as TSS (Thengamara Sabaj Sangha) back in 1964 in a village named Thengamara, in Sadar upazila, Bogra district, with the approval of the Department of Social Welfare.
TMSS aims to help the poor, and especially the ultra-poor,of this country with its microcredit operations, distinguished bytheirgrassroots decision-making and useof local human and material resources.
