| Twenty-eight Bangladeshi sailors stranded in the West African country Benin are expected to reach Dhaka within this week. Seven of them will arrive this afternoon.
Confirming the news, Wahidur Rahman, director general (Africa) of the ministry of foreign affairs (MOFA), told The Independent that the seven seamen would reach Dhaka at 5 pm by an Emirates Airlines flight. He said that the rest 21 stranded Bangladeshis would reach Dhaka on May 19.
Earlier, the foreign ministry announced that the mariners would come home by the first week of May but it did not happen due to the fact that immigration process was not completed and also due to unavailability of air tickets.
Charge d'affaires of the Bangladesh mission in Morocco Lutfor Rahman, who travelled to Benin to arrange for the safe departure of the sailors, is engaged in overall supervision of the matter.
Foreign ministry sources said that after receiving the news about the stranded Bangladeshies, the foreign ministry made hectic efforts for the repatriation of 28 crew who were caught in the offshore of Benin.
The visit of the CDA brought positive result and finally the Benin authorities agreed to repatriate the Bangladesh nationals.
In the meantime, the shipping ministry in Dhaka has conveyed to the (MOFA) that they would pay the air fare for the stranded individuals from the Crew Members Welfare Fund for bringing back the sailors to Dhaka.
MOFA sources said that around 60 seamen went to Benin to work on ships in December last year but they remained unpaid since then.
Among them, around 30 have already returned home while the rest are passing hard times there because of irregular supply of food, water and fuel. |
ANIS ALAMGIR
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