Twenty Bangladeshi nationals, who had been incarcerated in Myanmar for the past few months, departed from MITT Port in Yangon on Sunday for Chittagong by Bangladesh Navy ship.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Myanmar law enforcement agencies had detained the youths for illegal trespassing while they were being trafficked to Malaysia by unscrupulous agents.
“Following negotiations with relevant Myanmar authorities and verification of their Bangladeshi nationality, the Bangladesh Embassy in Myanmar arranged today’s (Sunday) repatriation,” the press release stated.
The same ship also carried the 55-member Bangladesh Search and Rescue (SAR) and Medical Team, who had been in Myanmar for 10 days to provide humanitarian assistance to earthquake-affected communities.
Bangladesh Ambassador to Myanmar Dr M Monwar Hossain was present at the port during the handover process of the 20 Bangladeshi nationals.
He commended the SAR team for enhancing the image of Bangladesh in Myanmar through their humanitarian efforts.
The ambassador urged all citizens to exercise caution when seeking employment abroad and advised them not to fall prey to suspicious or deceptive job offers.
Over the past two years, the Bangladesh Embassy in Myanmar has successfully facilitated the repatriation of 352 Bangladeshi nationals.
The last such repatriation took place on September 28 last year, when 85 Bangladeshis were returned home.
Officers from the Bangladesh Embassy were also present at the port to coordinate with Myanmar authorities, conduct verifications, and issue travel permits for the returnees.
The Bangladesh Navy ship, BNS Somudra Avijan, arrived in Yangon on Friday, carrying 120 metric tons of humanitarian assistance for the earthquake-affected people of Myanmar.
The ship is expected to reach Chittagong on Tuesday afternoon.
