Govt won’t help Bangladeshi law breakers abroad: Hasina

Abide by the laws of the country you live in, Hasina tells expatriates

Bangladeshi nationals living abroad should strictly abide by the laws of the countries they live in, says Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The government will not provide even minimum support to those who commit any crime, she warned.

“We’ll not tolerate any tarnishing of the country’s [Bangladesh] image due to someone’s crime,” the prime minister said at a civic reception in Doha’s Bangladesh MHM School organised by the Bangladeshis living in Qatar on Tuesday, according to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha [BSS].

“You must follow the law of the country you live in. For example, if you live in Qatar now, you must follow the law here. The government won’t take responsibility if someone commits a crime. They will face a trial according to the law of the host country," Hasina told expatriates.

Hasina said any Bangladeshi defying the law in their host countries demeans the perception of their country and fellow compatriots. “That’s why we want to send trained workers abroad. But sometimes even migrant workers do not receive proper training. We learned that some of got their hands on fake training certificates by paying bribes.”

Bangladesh loses the opportunity to send a workforce abroad if migrant workers' involvement in crimes ruins their reputation, she said.

“Today Bangladesh has graduated to a developing nation and you should be proud of it. Hence we can’t accept it when the country's dignity or image is defaced due to the offences committed by a few people,” the prime minister said.

Hasina recalled her life in exile after the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975.

She returned home afterwards only to take charge of her political party and work for the people’s welfare, she said.

She wants nothing but the welfare of Bangladesh, Hasina said.

The prime minister urged the migrants to send remittances home through legal means. “Sometimes, a small profit now may lead to a big loss in the long run and you must remember that,” she said.

She also urged people to avoid using fraudulent methods to go abroad and instead go through legal channels after receiving government training.

The prime minister highlighted her government’s success in development work and solicited blessings from everyone on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat. She reiterated her pledge to establish a ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamed of by Bangabandhu and a ‘Smart Bangladesh,’ BSS said.