Greek crisis cloud looms over Bangladeshi immigrants

Greece currently tops global news headlines ahead of its bailout referendum next Sunday.

The Greek government has shut all banks until July 6, and it is unlikely to repay a €1.6 billion debt to the International Monetary Fund due by Tuesday midnight.
 
Panic appears to have gripped the European country as reports say Greeks have begun emptying supermarkets and petrol stations in panic buying.
 
People queued up before bank ATMs to withdraw €60 each - a day’s cut-off limit - to stockpile goods.
 
bdnews24.com asked Joynal Abedin, President of the Bangladesh Community in Greece, how they were doing under the circumstances?
 
A sizeable number of Bangladeshis live in this poor European country that has been struggling for more than five years to emerge from a financial crisis.
 
Abedin said there were about 20,000 Bangladeshis currently staying in Greece.
 
“Overall, we have not been affected so far in terms of our work, but panic runs really deep among our people.”
 
He said, like the Greeks, Bangladeshis, too, queued up at ATMs. “They are buying goods and also oil from petrol stations.”
 
“We are affected. But it’s not that we are affected in any special way because we are outsiders. We are affected as much as the Greeks.”
 
He said despite repeated appeals by the local media, Greeks have not stopped panic buying.
 
“They are panicked. They fear a short-supply of essential commodities. They are also afraid that the currency might be changed and Greece will revert to its original Drachma from the Euro.”
 
He, however, said the jobs of the Bangladeshis were unaffected. “They are working at their places of employment. There have been no job cuts,” he said.

 
They were, however, worried about sending money home before Eid, as the only branch of a Bangladeshi bank, the National Bank Limited, was also closed.
 
“All means of sending money are closed at present. But (the bank) will open after July 6. So, I think sending money before Eid will not be a problem.”
 
He said the financial crisis had been building up for five to six years “but I never heard of any Bangladeshi losing job because of it”.
 
“There was no work for some time midway through the crisis. But, again, demand picked up as many outsiders had left Greece by this time.”
 
He said Bangladesh had a strong base of ready-made clothes in Greece with 250 factories operating there.
 
At least 5,000 Bangladeshis are working in this sector in Greece.
 
“And this demand is now growing. How will they get skilled workers for this sector? They will have to depend on Bangladeshis,” the Bangladesh community president said.