Ignoring a ban from the Maldives government, Bangladeshi expatriates in the island nation will stage a demonstration in the capital Male today protesting the murders of two Bangladeshis and attack on two others.
The government of the Maldives on the other hand threatened to cancel the visas of the protesters, reported local media.
Around 70,000 Bangladeshis are now living in the country of 3.5 lakh population, mostly without any valid documents, according to unofficial figures.
The Bangladeshi expatriates living in Maldives decided to stage the protest in front of the local Bangladesh High Commission office today after Shaheen Mia, 25, and Bilal, around 25, were killed in Male this week in separate incidents.
Shaheen was stabbed to death in a Male cafe in the morning of March 22 while Bilal was found dead in Alif Alif Atoll Thoddoo Island on March 25 night.
An Indian national was also stabbed by miscreants in the same place within a week.
Maldives police are yet to arrest the killers.
The Bangladeshi High Commission officials in Male told the Dhaka Tribune that the high commission authorities told Bangladeshis living in Male that they would ensure their security there and asked them not to hold any protest.
Meanwhile, the country’s Immigration and Emigration Department have already issued a warning saying that protesting for their rights was against the term of their work permits and it also threatened to cancel visas of protesters, reported a local media of Maldives.
In a statement, Controller of Immigration and Emigration Department of the Maldives Mohamed Anwar said: “The department will not hesitate to penalise those who participate in protests.”
He also called on employers to ask migrant workers to respect Maldivian laws.
While contacted, newly joined Bangladeshi High Commissioner in Maldives Rear Admiral Kazi Sarwar Hossain said: “I have already talked to Home Minister Umar Naseer, Police Commissioner Hussein Waheed and Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon about the recent murders and requested them to ensure Bangladeshi migrants’ safety and security. They also assured me of taking steps in this regard.”
When asked if Bangladeshi expatriates would stage any protest after the Maldivian authorities’ warning to cancel their visas he said: “I am continuously talking to Bangladeshi expatriates and have already issued circular giving our official numbers to inform us immediately if they face any security threat.
“The Bangladeshis also assured us that they would not stage any protest if the high commission takes initiatives to ensure their safety.”
He also said: “The high commission will take necessary steps to quell the situation through diplomatic channel.”
However, Ahmed Tholal, vice-president of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, said the ban on migrant workers’ protest was unconstitutional, reports Minivan news of Maldives.
“The constitution guarantees every person on Maldivian soil the right to protest. A clause in a migrant worker’s contract cannot override the constitution,” he told Minivan News.
But many expatriates living in Maldives told the Dhaka Tribune over phone that the migrant workers living in the capital Male will protest peacefully in front of the Bangladeshi High Commission today.
A Bangladeshi migrant wishing anonymity said after the murders of two Bangladeshis and attacks on three others within a week they were feeling insecure there.
