This brief assesses the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on migrant workers, how reduced remittances will affect households and economies in Asia and the Pacific, and what policy makers can do to soften the blow.
Tag: Migration
71 Bangladeshis return home from Beirut
Dhaka, Aug 12 – A total of 71 Bangladesh citizens returned home from Beirut, Lebanon on Wednesday. A Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) aircraft, which handed over relief materials in Lebanon, repatriated the Bangladeshi nationals from Beirut.
The Great Migration Clash
By Joseph Chamie NEW YORK, Jul 23 2020 (IPS) – The world is in the midst of the Great Migration Clash, a bitter struggle between those who “want out” of their countries and those who want others to “keep out”…
Over 100 thousand BD workers await flights abroad: Baira
Dhaka, July 15 – More than 100 thousand Bangladeshi workers are stranded due to coronavirus outbreak and waiting to leave the country, said Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) on Wednesday.
Rule on int’l students: Harvard, MIT sue U.S. govt
Washington, Xinhua/UNB, July 09 – Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Wednesday filed a suit to prevent the U.S. government from enforcing a rule about international students that has caused anxiety among the tens of thousands of…
315 stranded Bangladeshis return from Dubai, Singapore
DHAKA, July 8: A total of 315 stranded Bangladeshi have arrived here from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Singapore by two separate chartered flights of US-Bangla airlines, one of the country’s private carriers.
Govt facing pressure to bring expatriate workers: PM
Mentioning that there is a diplomatic pressure on Bangladesh for bringing back Bangladeshi expatriate workers from the Middle East countries, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said her government has taken multifaceted diplomatic initiatives to deal with it.
Kerala High Court asks for govt response on wage theft
Rejimon Kuttappan The Lede first reported in early June that Indian workers in Gulf are subjected to wage theft The Kerala High Court has instructed the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Labour, Kerala government and…
‘COVID-19 transmission limited in Rohingya camps’
Speakers at a virtual discussion lauded the government’s early planning and joint efforts with the UN and humanitarian partners to limit the transmission of coronavirus in the congested Rohingya camps, saying that this story must be heard globally.
NGOS want emergency Rohingya response fund terms revised
CCNF, a network of more than 50 local and national NGOs working in Cox’s Bazar, urged the UN Resident Coordinator (UNRC) to revise the allocation application’s conditions of $4 million CERF/emergency coronavirus fund so that local NGOs can participate in…
Free migrant children from family detention: US Judge
Houston, AP/UNB, June – 27 – A federal judge on Friday denounced the Trump administration’s prolonged detention of families during the coronavirus pandemic and ordered the release of children held with their parents in U.S. immigration jails.
Most Rohingyas unaware of Covid-19: Survey
Most of the Rohingyas living in Cox’s Bazar camps are not aware of Covid-19 and its intensity, according to a survey jointly conducted by KNH Germany and Samaj Kallyan O Unnayon Sangstha (SKUS).
BD Red Crescent opens new isolation centres for Rohingyas
Cox’s Bazar, June 23 – Bangladesh Red Crescent Society has launched two new isolation and treatment centres (Field hospitals) to treat the growing number of Covid-19 patients in Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar adjacent to host communities.
Trump targets foreign workers with new visa freeze
US President Donald Trump has extended a pause on some green cards and suspended visas for other foreign workers until the end of 2020. High-skilled tech workers, non-agricultural seasonal helpers, au pairs and top executives will be affected.
Isolation Centre visits to better Rohingya attitude on virus
As the humanitarian community scales up COVID-19 health response in the Cox’s Bazar, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) started visiting Isolation and Treatment Centre (ITC) to improve the Rohingyas’ attitudes towards the disease.
Covid-19 And Migrant Workers: The great wage robbery
“Gulf countries are highly dependent on migrant workers in almost every major sector…and yet they have utterly failed to protect migrant workers, and treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve”—these words were spoken by a representative of Amnesty…
Willing Bangladeshis to be brought back from KSA in phases
Bangladesh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) have agreed to bring back Bangladeshi workers home in phases ensuring their quarantine facilities upon return.
Rohingya Cyclists Share Key Covid-19 Info Camp Door to Door
Cox’s Bazar–Social distancing is a crucial aspect of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. But that poses challenges to the flow of key information during a time when being well-informed also is critical to public health.
Prioritise embankment for protection of coastal population
Speakers at a virtual seminar on Saturday urged the government to allocate the resources for constructing an embankment to protect the coastal population. The virtual seminar titled “National budget 2020-2021, embankment and protection of coastal population” was jointly organized by…
BD rejects reported Malaysian proposition over 269 Rohingyas
Bangladesh has ruled out any possibility to accept 269 Rohingyas detained by the Malaysian authorities saying it is no way Bangladesh’s responsibility.
2 more Rohingyas die from coronavirus in Cox’s Bazar
Two more Rohingya men died from coronavirus on Monday, taking total death in the Rohingya camp to three. One of them was 58 years old and a resident of camp-10 while another was 70 years and a resident of camp-7,…
Host countries urged to be humane, responsible over migrants
Bangladesh has called for “global solidarity and cooperation” and “strong political will” to address the challenges of the migrants who are disproportionately affected by the COVID- 19 pandemic globally.
Alleged killer of 26 Bangladeshis in Libya killed by drone
Warlord Haftar’s militiaman Khaled Al-Mishai, who was allegedly responsible for the killing of 26 Bangladeshis and four African migrants in Mizda town, was killed in a drone strike by the Libyan Air Force.
Rohingya man dies from corona reported in Cox’s Bazar camp
A Rohingya man died from coronavirus while undergoing treatment at the isolation centre at Ukhiya camp in Cox’s Bazar on Monday night.
Urgent justice tool for repatriated migrant workers urged
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted millions of migrant workers in destination countries, many of whom have experienced job loss or non-payment of wages, been forced by employers to take unpaid leave or reduced wages, been confined in poor living…
Coronavirus: 39 Bangladeshis return home from India
A special flight of NOVOAIR brought back 39 stranded Bangladeshis from Kolkata in India on Sunday amid coronavirus pandemic.
Taka1 billion project to repair Amphan-damaged embankments
The government is taking a Tk 100 crore project to repair embankments damaged during cyclone Amphan, State Minister for Water Resources Zahid Faruk said Thursday. He made the remarks while visiting Amphan-hit areas of Satkhira Sadar Upazila. The government is taking the Army’s help…
Rescue, disembark Rohingyas floating at sea: IOM
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said they are “increasingly concerned” about the plight of hundreds of Rohingyas believed to be stranded at sea, noting that cyclone Amphan signalled a ferocious start to the cyclone season in the Bay…
50 cyclone shelters ready in Cox’s Bazar: IOM
Some 50 multipurpose cyclone shelters have been prepared and 256 cyclone preparation programme volunteer units provided cyclone early warning system messages to the community in Rohingya camp as cyclone Amphan is unlikely to hit Cox’s Bazar district.
More Bangladeshi citizens likely to return from Malaysia
A special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines is likely to be operated on May 22 to bring back home more stranded Bangladesh citizens from Malaysia.