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The government has initiated a move to evacuate 1800 Bangladeshis registered to return home from Lebanon voluntarily amid attacks by Israeli forces on the Arab country. 

‘Around 1800 Bangladeshis have already registered their names, only 165 of them properly documented, to return home voluntarily out of around 70,000 to one lakh staying in Lebanon,’ foreign adviser Md Touhid Hossain told a press briefing at his Segun Bagicha office in the city on Thursday.

He said the government would bring back the documented migrants first with 50 in each batch.

He said all were not willing to come back despite the danger in present situation there as many of them had went there at high costs while some were working in safe areas.

The adviser, also a former diplomat, said that the government authorities were working with the International Organisation of Migration in this regard to address the complexities in bringing back those undocumented.

‘There are some complexities to bring back undocumented migrants as it would require payment of fines. The government has already decided to clear the fines as most of them do not have the financial capacity at this moment,’ the adviser said. 

He said that the government was exploring both air and sea routes to ensure the safe return of Bangladeshis in phases through Turkey if it was necessary.

Meanwhile, panic grips Bangladesh nationals living in Lebanon as Israel continued attacks on the country that killed hundreds of people and compelled millions to flee their homes amid air strikes that were intensified since September 23.

Bangladeshi migrants, mostly workers, who became stranded in Lebanon, said that there was no report of deaths among the Bangladeshis but several were injured and many fled the high risk conflict zones, while the United Kingdom issued an urgent call for all British nationals in Lebanon to leave the country as soon as possible.

It is estimated that over one lakh Bangladeshis now work in Lebanon, mostly in garment factories, hotels, hospitals and households.

About the suspension of issuance of visas other than on emergency by India, Touhid said that the government had assured the Indian authorities to increase security if it was required. ‘Moreover, we are also considering requesting third country like Pakistan and Vietnam as people, many of them students, from Bangladesh need to visit India to get visas of other countries having no missions in Bangladesh,’ he added.

Asked whether there were any changes in bilateral relations with any country, he said there were ‘unnecessary strain in relation with the United States’ during the previous government and that was now over.