Control room opens to ensure expats safety

Staff Reporter :

The government has set up a special control room to ensure the safety and welfare of Bangladeshi migrants in the Middle East amid the ongoing war in the region.

The Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment on Tuesday said the control room will operate from 10 to 16 March every day from 8:00am to 8:00pm.

According to the ministry, the control room has been established at the Probashi Call Centre, Lift-7, Probashi Kallyan Bhaban in Eskaton, Dhaka.

Officials and staff members will perform duties in three shifts in line with an office order issued on 9 March.
Bangladeshi migrant workers affected by the evolving war situation in the Middle East have been asked to contact the ministry’s hotline number +8809610102030 for assistance at any time.

The office order said Director General of the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board, Barrister Md Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan, will supervise the overall management of the control room.

Deputy Secretary Md Hedayetul Islam Mondol of the Employment-1 branch of the ministry will serve as the focal point officer.

Officials assigned to the control room will also maintain communication with labour welfare wings at Bangladesh missions abroad, if necessary, in view of the ongoing conflict.

The initiative comes as the security situation in parts of the Middle East has deteriorated due to the continuing conflict, raising concerns about the safety of foreign workers, including a large number of Bangladeshis employed across the region.

Earlier, the government expressed deep concern over the death of two Bangladeshi nationals and injuries to several others in an aerial attack in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Kharj Governorate.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the continued loss of innocent Bangladeshi lives in the region was a matter of grave concern.

The government also said Bangladesh missions in the Middle East have been instructed to remain on high alert and maintain close contact with expatriate communities to provide necessary support and guidance during the crisis.
Bangladesh has a significant migrant workforce in the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman, making the safety of expatriate workers a key concern for the government during the ongoing conflict.