337 Bangladeshis on way home
Evacuated recently from war-torn Yemen, 337 Bangladeshis yesterday boarded two Indian ships in Djibouti to return home.
The Indian ships, MV Kavaratti and MV Corals, with passengers of India and Bangladesh would reach Cochin port of Kerala in India within April 18, SM Mahbubul Alam, counsellor at the Bangladesh embassy in Kuwait, told The Daily Star over the phone.
“The Bangladeshis will be brought to Dhaka probably by a Biman Bangladesh flight later,” he said.
The foreign ministry would coordinate with the Indian counterpart in New Delhi and ensure all necessary arrangements for bringing the Bangladeshis home.
Indian high commission in Bangladesh yesterday tweeted: “336 evacuated Bangladeshis from Yemen have set sail for Cochin on board Indian ships MV Corals and Kavaratti. [They are] Likely to reach on Apr 17/18.”
Mahbubul said the two ships were being escorted by an Indian Naval ship to ensure security during the voyage.
“Currently, there is no Bangladeshi in Djibouti,” he said.
The counsellor could not mention the exact number of Bangladeshis still trapped in Yemen. However, he said the expatriates in the troubled Middle Eastern country were contacting them every day to go home.
“We are not considering withdrawing our monitoring cell from Djibouti. We will continue our rescue mission as long as it's needed,” he said.
Mahbubul is currently in the African country with a foreign ministry team to supervise the evacuation.
On Saturday, Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque said 360 Bangladeshis had been evacuated to Djibouti. Of them, 21 have already returned home.
Shahidul also said they had a list of 500 Bangladeshis who had contacted them and expressed their willingness to return home from Yemen.
are 1,500 to 3,000 Bangladeshis in the Middle Eastern country, according to foreign ministry officials.
Yemen has been in turmoil for months since the rebels took over the capital, Sana'a, after bursting out of their northern stronghold, according to international media.
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