A total of 529 Bangladeshis have been intercepted in one month till the middle of June from Libya and Tunisia coasts, in their attempts to flee to Europe, after falling into the clutches of human traffickers.
Of these people, 443 were rescued from Tunisia. Last Thursday, 164 of them were rescued off the coast of Tunisia.
The destination of these detainees was Italy. They flew from Dhaka to the Middle East and reached war-torn Libya. From there they sailed across the Mediterranean Sea to Italy, resulting in detention for many of them by the law enforcement forces of Libya and Tunisia.
The Tunisian Coast Guard rescued 36 Bangladeshis while crossing the Mediterranean Sea illegally on their way to Italy on May 18, 243 from the coast of the country on May 27 and 28, and 164 on June 10.
Besides, officials of the Department for Combating Illegal Immigration (DCIM) in Libya rescued 86 Bangladeshis last month from their abductors in the Algerian border desert area of Daras.
They were captured by the abductors on their way to the Mediterranean Sea via Benghazi.
Bangladesh's foreign ministry officials on Sunday said that the Bangladesh embassy in Libya had requested Tunisian authorities to contact the 164 people rescued last Thursday.
Meanwhile, Gazi Md Asaduzzaman Kabir, Bangladesh's acting ambassador to Libya, said Bangladesh embassy officials in Libya had interviewed 221 Bangladeshis rescued in the last one month with the help of the Tunisian Coast Guard.
These Bangladeshi nationals said they began their journey across the Mediterranean Sea by dinghi boats after flown to Benghazi, Libya, on a chartered plane from Dubai. They had to stay in Dubai for at least 7-8 days.
Asaduzzaman also said that after the interviews, they were contacted by the Tunisian Department of Immigration, the Red Crescent Society and local authorities, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
They are now housed in a shelter house run by the Red Crescent Society and IOM after completing their institutional quarantine.
Of those who are interested in returning home are being repatriated with the help of IOM, Asaduzzaman added.
