Disturbing revelations emerge as over 50 young men from several villages in Gangni upazila, Meherpur, Bangladesh, plead for help while enduring a grim existence in Malaysia. Living in what they describe as a “prison-like situation” for three months, these workers, who traveled to Malaysia in search of employment, reveal harrowing details in five video clips uncovered by Prothom Alo.
Contacted through WhatsApp, these ‘captive’ youths share their distressing story. Stranded on the ground and first floor of a Kuala Lumpur building, at least 63 workers have been deprived of their passports and are confined with little to no food. Promised jobs within a month, they face despair as three months pass without employment, unable even to leave the premises.
During a WhatsApp video call, it is learned that 63 youths from Kazipur union in Gangni upazila and Mohammadpur village of Motmura union ventured to Malaysia for work in November last year. Suruj Ali, Awal, and Abdullah, who are cousins, took them, collecting Tk 400,000-500,000 from each victim with promises of construction sector jobs paying Tk 45,000-50,000 monthly.
Allegedly, a travel agency in Dhaka facilitated their journey, but upon arrival in Malaysia, their passports were seized, leading to a life of detention. The youths live in crowded rooms with expired visas, surviving on insufficient meals of potatoes, pulses, and rice, cooked inside the confined space.
Those supplying food are Chinese and Malaysian nationals, who intimidate the workers when questioned about their employment. Prothom Alo attempted to contact Suruj Ali without success, and Abdullah, claiming to be a computer operator for the travel agency in Dhaka, promised work for the distressed youths by February 28.
Families in Bangladesh, struggling financially, are reluctant to file lawsuits, as advised by Meherpur deputy commissioner Shamim Hasan. The urgency of this situation demands prompt attention and intervention to rescue these trapped Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia.
