The undocumented foreign nationals living and working in Bangladesh have been asked to collect valid documents soon. If they do not collect the documents, necessary legal actions will be taken against those, according to a warning issued on Thursday from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Besides, after coming out from a meeting on arrangement of security for peaceful celebration of the Christmas Day and 31st night at the Secretariat, Home Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Sunday said that no foreigners would be allowed to stay in Bangladesh illegally.
"We've no statistics about illegal foreigners staying in Bangladesh. Nationals of many countries are now staying illegally in the country. I am not mentioning name of any country. But, no illegal citizens of any country would be allowed to stay in the country," he warned while talking to journalists after the meeting.
In response to a question, the adviser said it is not a sudden decision and there is no specific cause behind issuing a notice issued on Sunday warning the illegal foreigners working in Bangladesh to obtain necessary documents to work legally.
According to the notice, many complaints are being received from various sources that many foreign nationals are staying in Bangladesh illegally and are working in various institutions illegally as well.
"The undocumented foreign nationals of all have been asked to collect valid documents to stay here or work as soon as possible. Otherwise, legal actions will be taken against them," the notice, signed by Chief Adviser's Special Assistant for Home Ministry Khuda Baksh Chowdhury and Senior Secretary of Public Security Division and Security Services Division Dr Mohammad Abdul Momen, warned.
After the meeting, the Home Adviser said that Bangladesh would not tolerate any illegal entry into its territory.
Replying to another question about timeframe for deportation of the illegal foreign nationals, Jahangir Alam said that they would decide the next course of action after getting the statistics of illegal foreigners residing in Bangladesh.
He said there is no connection between issuance of the notice and law and order situation in the country.
When asked about negative impact of the tension on Bangladesh-India relations, he said, "There would be no negative impact on the relations between the countries. The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel have been kept on alert along the Bangladeshi frontiers."
Replying to a question about the state of country's current law and order situation, he hinted that the situation is comparatively better than four months back.
Regarding Sunday's meeting, Jahangir said the meeting was held to chalk out a plan to ensure foolproof security ahead of the Christmas Day and 31st night for their peaceful celebrations.
"The normal bars would be closed down on the 31st night to avoid any untoward situation. The home ministry has also imposed ban on exploding firecrackers," he said.
