1,834 Bangladeshi workers deported from KSA in 18 days

Another 224 Bangladeshi workers were deported by Saudi Arabia on Saturday. The returnees claimed that they have legal documents.
A Saudi Airlines flight carrying 116 workers landed at Dhaka airport at 12:20pm on Saturday. Twelve hours later, another Saudi Airlines flight carrying 108 Bangladeshis arrived in Dhaka.
With them, as many as 1,834 Bangladeshis have been deported from Saudi Arabia since the beginning of this year.
In 2019, more than 60,000 Bangladeshis returned to the country from different destinations with necessary travel passes. Most of them were deported by the authorities concerned after being arrested.
According to BRAC Migration Programme data, of the returnees, a total of 25,789 returned from Saudi Arabia.Saudi Arabia has been the major source of remittance for Bangladesh.
The country received more than US$18 billion in remittance last year. Bangladeshis in Saudi Arabia sent US$3.65 billion or 19.87 percent of the total amount during this period, according to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).
Last year, a total of 399,000 people, around 56.99 percent of all overseas Bangladeshi employment, were sent to Saudi Arabia, BMET data showed.
During the period, a total of 700,159 Bangladeshis found jobs abroad. But the Middle East country sent back 25,789 Bangladeshis in 2019.
Shariful Hasan, head of BRAC Migration Programme, said many of the deportees were lured to the Middle East country with promises of good jobs and better lives.
"But they faced a slew of problems and many were not paid. They are staring at an uncertain future," he said, adding, "Almost all of them returned home empty handed."