Shops of many Bangladeshis under attack
Over 100 Bangladeshi expatriates were injured and around 100 of their shops looted in an attack by local miscreants in Johannesburg and Durban in South Africa early yesterday.
Mizan, a Bangladeshi expatriate, claimed that four Bangladeshis were killed in the attack.
The Daily Star, however, could not verify his claim immediately.
“Some armed men hurriedly barged into my shop in Johannesburg and looted valuables worth Tk 10 lakh. They also beat me and some of my colleagues,” Mizan told this correspondent from Johannesburg last night around 1:00 am over the phone.
Bangladeshis were the largest group of victims among other nationals, he added.
In the last several days, foreign nationals including Bangladeshis were coming under attack by local goons.
Bangladeshi embassy in Pretoria, one of the capital cities of SA, did not give any direction to the expatriates in this situation.
The expatriates, however, kept their shops closed and took shelter in safer places in Pretoria.
Bangladeshis, living in fear of further attacks, sought help from the Bangladesh government in this regard, Mizan said.
Around 60,000 to 70,000 Bangladeshi expatriates now live in South Africa. Apart from legal expatriates, a group of Bangladeshis live there illegally, which often causes problems for legal migrants.
About 200 foreigners took refuge at a police station, and 12 people were arrested over the attacks, reports BBC English Service.
The attacks were carried out despite Thursday's rally against xenophobia in the coastal city of Durban, and condemnation from President Jacob Zuma.
President Zuma condemned the recent xenophobic attacks terming them "shocking".
"No amount of frustration or anger can justify the attacks on foreign nationals and the looting of their shops," he told parliament on Thursday.
At least five people have died in xenophobic attacks in recent weeks.
A crowd began looting shops owned by foreigners in East Johannesburg on Thursday night. A car and a building believed to house foreigners were also set on fire.
Many jobless South Africans accuse foreigners of taking jobs in a country where the unemployment rate is 24 percent, reported BBC.
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