lack of documents) forced them to rely on the same dalals to remit money home, only to
find that money never reached their loved ones.
The group members had to fend for themselves if they fell sick. Securing services of a
medical professional was out of the question. Generally if someone fell sick, other
workers chipped in to buy over-the-counter medication. The victims reported that they
were subjected to regular torture and humiliation by their captors and were in a state of
constant fear of abuse.
Absence of regular work permits, employment and income, loss of personal documents,
atrocious work and living conditions, wanton mistreatment, threat of reprisal from the
dalals and inability to secure protection from the local authorities left the workers with
little choice. In early June, they escaped and went to the Bangladesh embassy in Hanoi to
lodge complaints. As their problems remained largely unaddressed, they staged a sit-in in
front of the embassy. Some raised their voices to express their grievances.
Under pressure from these aggrieved victims, the embassy and Vietnam authorities
accommodated them in hotels and dormitories before repatriation to Bangladesh.
Needless to say, as soon as they finished the mandatory quarantine period, they were
arrested and sent to prison.
As in the first episode, the authorities have so far failed to produce any shred of evidence
to support its claims that these returnees were "hatching a conspiracy against the state
and the government" and planning to commit grievous crimes, including terrorism and
sabotage. They were also accused of "tarnishing the image of the state". All these raise a
few issues.
Firstly, the allegations that these migrants were in prison is absolutely false. Also, if the
returnees (all of whom endured immense trauma in near captive conditions), in
expressing their grievances, had violated the sanctity of the embassy premises, why were
they not reported to the local authorities? Secondly, how can each and every member
become part of a huge conspiracy when in reality, they were under the army's
supervision during the quarantine period?
Thirdly, the Bangladesh ambassador to Vietnam is on record saying that there is no
employment opportunity for Bangladeshis in that country and despite this, a group of
agents with their counterparts in Vietnam are bringing workers to that country. She had
repeatedly identified the irregularities that were being committed in sending workers to
that country. This raises the question—what concrete actions have the authorities in
Dhaka taken to stem this trafficking corridor run by a syndicate of registered recruiting
agencies, travel agencies and dalals?
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