25 more trafficking victims return from Indonesia

Twenty five more Bangladeshi human trafficking victims returned home from Indonesia this evening, around four months after they were rescued from the Andaman Sea.

A flight of Malaysian Airlines carrying them landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 8:00pm, Mohammad Shakil Mansoor of International Organisation for Migration (IOM) told The Daily Star.

With the 25, a total of 217 rescued Bangladeshis returned home from Indonesia since June 12, while around 400 to 500 others are still staying at shelter homes in Indonesia, he said.

The rest will be brought back home gradually after police verification. The Bangladesh foreign ministry in association with the IOM is arranging their repatriation, Shakil added.

The returnees hail from Narsingdi, Meherpur, Kishoreganj, Narayanganj and Cox’s Bazar.

Over 500 Bangladeshis, who were rescued in the last several months from the Andaman Sea, had been brought back home from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar since June.