Foreign minister urges Bangladesh expats not to return home now

Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday urged expatriate workers not to plan to return home unless they are forced to do so.

He assured them of return of good days after the coronavirus crisis is over.

Momen said the government continues to provide food support to expatriates so that no one goes hungry, reports news agency UNB.

The foreign minister made the remarks while inaugurating "Probash Bandhu Call Centre" for Bangladeshi expatriates in Saudi Arabia to provide information related to health services.

Connecting through video conference from Dhaka, Momen said expatriates are the country's asset and all Bangladesh missions abroad have been directed to extend support to expatriate Bangladeshis.

The foreign minister urged all to follow health guidelines to stay safe from coronavirus.

He said expatriate Bangladeshis will now avail of health services staying at home in Saudi Arabia.

Momen suggested heads of Bangladesh missions abroad introduce similar services in other countries where the presence of Bangladeshi nationals is significant.

He said the foreign affairs ministry will provide required support in this regard.

The foreign minister said such services are already in place in a number of countries including cities like New York and London.

The call centre was introduced with the support of a2i and ICT division through which expatriate physicians will provide services from 9:00am to 9:00pm.

Expatriates welfare and overseas employment minister Imran Ahmad, state minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak and foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen also joined the video conference.