Riots in Natal ruin Bangladeshis.
Toil, money, dream are reduced in ashes.
Migrants do everything in times of need,
Standing by them is great nation's deed.
The tumultuous situation in South Africa has resulted in deployment of 25000 troops across the country. Mayhem caused by rioters also affected thousands of Bangladeshis living there. Lawlessness consumed 72 lives so far and caused 208 riots on Wednesday alone. 1Compared to other countries, Bangladeshis in South Africa are better positioned and own groceries and super shops. However, a good number of them do not have valid papers. And those do business legally face regular bout of looting and violence. Prior to this round of violence, around 450 Bangladeshis fell victim of gun violence in South Africa in the last four years.2Having heard growing concerns from home, government finally raised the matter to South African officials in bilateral talks.
The latest riot ruined scores of Bangladeshi shop owners. Their shops were looted and then set on fire. A BBC report claims 400 Bangladeshi shops and groceries in KwaZulu-Natal were looted and on average affected Bangladeshi shop sustained loss of 300,000 Rand and 1 million Rand.3So little progress has been made in securing Bangladeshi interest in South African soil since the last bilateral talk.
I wrote a piece about little response from govt towards migrant workers in the wake of workers' ordeal in Malaysia during the last pandemic.4Some of the points I made there still relevant here. Any dignified nation should raise its voice if any unjust act is purported on its interest or its citizens. Many smaller nations did this and did not jeopardize bilateral ties. In the past we saw bodies of migrant Bangladeshi workers were found in jungles straddling along the Thai-Malaysian border.In Vanuatu, hundreds of Bangladeshis stranded in prisons falling into the lure of human traffickers. A Kuwaiti court sentenced high officials of Kuwait and a Bangladeshi law-maker for amassing huge wealth through human trafficking. More recently, Tunisian coast guards rescued 443 Bangladeshis from the Mediterranean sea between May 18 and June 10 of this year. They tried to reach Italy illegally by taking a perilous boat ride. Every week there is news of drowning of illegal immigrants who make this kind of desperate journeys from Libya. Poor Bangladeshi working souls perish abroad. But no steps are seen on the part of government to dig deep about these murky affairs. Some visible actions are taken if the tragedies merit to make international news item.
We have to remember that migrant workers' contributions help the country giving a firm footing by swelling the ForEx reserve. They send their money and savings whenever the country is in crisis. Last year, they sent $21.75 billion back home when COVID-19 severely slashed export earnings. Many sent their savings back home after losing their jobs in other countries. They could have been migrated to some other countries by transferring their savings to that new country. When they fall in crisis , government seldom stand by them. Till to date, no Bangladeshi govt official came to their rescue. News report indicates local Bangladeshis are providing them temporary shelter.
Bangladesh government should bring these incidents to the attention of South African officials. Bangladesh should make sure these shop owners who are literally on the brink of destitution get the compensation to resume their business activities and the culprits are brought to book without further delay.
Great and dignified nations never let the rights and honor of their fellow citizens ruin on foreign shores. No country scales up on the grievances of its workers and ignoring the rights of its citizens. Bangladesh should stand by its citizens deeply affected in the ongoing riots. Friendship and standing for just cause can go hand in hand. History is replete with plenty of examples.
---------------------------------------------------------------------Notes and References:
1. "Dokkhin Africaei 25000 Sena Mathe(25000 Soldiers Deployed in South Africa)", Daily Prothom Alo, July 16,2021.
2. "Dokkhin Africaei Char Bochhore 452 Bangladeshi Nihoto, Ki Karone Ghotchhe Eshob?(452 Bangladeshis Gunned Down in 4 Years in South Africa --- What are The Reasons?", Syeda Akhter,BBC Bangla, December 20, 2020. Link Here
3. "Dokkhin Africaei Danga: Byapok Khoikhoti Hoechhe Bohu Bangladeshir(Riot in South Africa: Many Bangladeshis Sustain Huge Loss)",Naguib Bahar, BBC Bangla, July 15, 2021. Link Here
4. " Help The Soul In Distress", Rezaul Hoque, https://hoquestake.blogspot.com.Link Here
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