Panicked Bangladeshis in Lebanon desperate to return home | The Business Standard
Skip to main content
  • Latest
  • Epaper
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Thursday
June 19, 2025

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Latest
  • Epaper
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2025
Panicked Bangladeshis in Lebanon desperate to return home

Migration

Kamran Siddiqui
07 August, 2020, 11:10 pm
Last modified: 08 August, 2020, 12:03 pm

Related News

  • Bangladeshis in Lebanon asked not to go out at night amid Iran-Israel conflict
  • Israeli military strikes Beirut's southern suburbs
  • UAE to lift three-year Lebanon travel ban
  • Israel launches air strike on Beirut
  • Israel kills a Hamas commander in Lebanon, further testing ceasefire

Panicked Bangladeshis in Lebanon desperate to return home

Three areas in Beirut where 20,000-25,000 Bangladeshi expatriates were living got devastated in Tuesday’s blast

Kamran Siddiqui
07 August, 2020, 11:10 pm
Last modified: 08 August, 2020, 12:03 pm
Panicked Bangladeshis in Lebanon desperate to return home

Highlights

  • Around 1.5 lakh Bangladeshis are working in Lebanon, nearly 30,000 of them are undocumented
  • 7,745 registered for repatriation in last February-March, 1,500 returned home amid Covid-19
  • Haunted by the Beirut blast horrors, now most workers opt for immediate repatriation  
  • Bangladesh Embassy in Beirutis is not taking new repatriation appeal due to international flight crisis
  • The embassy says it is trying to calm the tension among Bangladeshis, while a tense situation still prevails there

There have been plenty of financial miseries going around in Lebanon for last one year, which got intensified amid the coronavirus pandemic, leaving thousands of Bangladeshi expatriates jobless in the West Asian country.

The Bangladesh Embassy in Beirut received 7,745 repatriation appeals alone in last February-March period.

The Business Standard Google News Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel

The latest explosion in Lebanese capital hammered the final nail in the coffin as seemingly all Bangladeshi workers now want to leave the country as soon as possible.

"We the distressed Bangladeshi migrants are now panicked twice as much after the blast. We appeal to the Bangladesh Embassy to send us back home immediately," said Rana Ahmed, a Bangladeshi in Lebanon.   

On Tuesday, four Bangladeshis were killed while another 100 Bangladeshis including 21 Navy men sustained injuries in the horrific explosion at a warehouse in the port of Beirut.

Beirut-based Bangladeshi journalist Mohsin Mridha said three areas where 20,000-25,000 Bangladeshi expatriates were living got devastated in the blast.

"The migrants are panicked more since they had already been struggling with food and accommodation costs for last couple of months. Still, the situation is not normal here," he added.

He said the explosion rocked buildings within two kilometres blast radius and many Bangladeshi migrant workers are now doing the repairs. 

According to an unofficial estimate, around 1.5 lakh Bangladeshis expatriates work in Lebanon and most of them are cleaners and housemaids. 

Bangladesh Ambassador in Beirut Major General Md Jahangir Al Mustahidur Rahman in a video message Wednesday said a tense situation was prevailing in Lebanon.

He said, "People, including the Bangladeshi community, are in a state of panic. We are trying to calm the situation by using social media and in some other ways."

Bangladeshi workers' distress calls flood Facebook group

Bangladeshi workers in Lebanon run a Facebook group "Lebanon Prabasi". Distress calls from the migrants have swamped the group wall.

Abid Hassan Sujon, who was a cleaner in a Beirut bar, said he lost his job six months ago and has been struggling to manage food and accommodation since then.

"Now, my family in Bangladesh is sending me money for my survival here,"

The expat said he tried to get registered with the Bangladesh Embassy in Beirut for repatriation, a process for undocumented migrants to return home, but failed.

Sujon is one of around 30,000 undocumented Bangladeshi migrants currently living in Lebanon. Like Sujon, both documented and undocumented workers are continuously knocking the door of Bangladesh Embassy as the country slides into deeper economic crisis. 

Among the 7,745 Bangladeshi nationals applied for repatriation in February-March, the embassy sent 1,500 workers home via special flights.

First Secretary of Bangladesh Embassy in Beirut Abdullah Al Mamun said they have stopped the registration as they could not send back all the previously registered workers due to an unavailability of flights.

"The pandemic has jeopardised repatriation arrangements," he said.

Lebanon economy was suffering even before the pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic did not spark the beginning of a financial crisis to Lebanese economy. In fact, the country has been sliding deeper into trouble since October last year.

The economy started to buckle under the weight of decades of unfettered corruption, unsustainable fiscal policies, the war next door in Syria, and a slump in vital remittances from abroad, reported Qatar-based Al Jazeera.

According to the report, tens of thousands of Lebanese have since lost their jobs while hundreds of businesses have closed – and that was before a nationwide Covid-19 lockdown delivered yet another crippling blow to an economy already on life support. 

Slowing capital inflow saw protesters taking to the streets in large groups.They demanded an end to corruption, accusing leaders of using their positions to enrich themselves for decades through favourable deals and kickbacks.

Moreover, depreciation of the local currency has hit nearly everyone in Lebanon, especially migrants. 

Dollar went up six times in just one year

In Lebanon, US dollar went up six times in last one year makingeverything pricier amid the economic crisis.

First Secretary at the Bangladesh Embassy in Beirut Abdullah Al Mamun said, "Tourism and remittance are the main sources of foreign currency in Lebanon. But both have slumped in recent months, which played a role in devaluation of the local currency. Besides, there is a huge gap between export and import." 

"Foreign workers are usually paid in US dollar, but now they are getting wages in Lebanese Pound which is highly devalued," the first secretary told the business standard.

Mamun said employers arepaying employees in line with the previous rate.

"So, when migrants want to send money to Bangladesh, they have to buy dollars at a higher rate. It means they are sending much less than before," he explained.  

Bangladesh / Top News

Beirut / Lebanon / Beirut blast / Bangladeshi Expats in Lebanon

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • A drone photo shows the damage over residential homes at the impact site following missile attack from Iran on Israel, in Tel Aviv, Israel June 16, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Moshe Mizrahi/File Photo
    Israel says hospital struck by Iranian missiles as Trump weighs US involvement
  • Photo: Screengrab
    Enforced disappearance perpetrators still threatening victims, families: Inquiry commission chief
  • Missiles launched from Iran are intercepted as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
    Explainer: How did Iran manage to pierce through Israel’s air defence systems?

MOST VIEWED

  • Logo of Beximco Group. Photo: Collected
    Beximco defaults on €33m in Germany, Deshbandhu owes Czech bank €4m
  • The India-Bangladesh integrated checkpost in Fulbari. Photo: Passang Yolmo via Telegraph India
    Import of boulders from Bhutan to Bangladesh stopped by Indian transporters in Fulbari
  • Infograph: TBS
    End of a loophole: Defaulters on foreign loans barred from local bank borrowing
  • Smoke rises following an Israeli attack on the IRIB building, the country's state broadcaster, in Tehran, Iran, June 16, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
    Israel-Iran War: Russia says Israel's attacks illegal, UAE warns of 'uncalculated, reckless steps'
  • An anti-missile system operates as missiles are launched from Iran, as seen from Tel Aviv, Israel, 18 June 2025. Photo: Reuters
    Khamenei rejects Trump's demand for surrender, Trump says 'good luck'
  • Soldiers salute Arakan Army chief Major General Twan Mrat Naing during a parade in Myanmar, 6 April 2018. File Photo: Arakan Army deputy chief Brig Gen Nyo Twan Awng/Twitter
    Rohingya militant groups recruit from camps to fight Arakan Army, warns Crisis Group

Related News

  • Bangladeshis in Lebanon asked not to go out at night amid Iran-Israel conflict
  • Israeli military strikes Beirut's southern suburbs
  • UAE to lift three-year Lebanon travel ban
  • Israel launches air strike on Beirut
  • Israel kills a Hamas commander in Lebanon, further testing ceasefire

Features

Evacuation of Bangladeshis: Where do they go next from conflict-ridden Iran?

Evacuation of Bangladeshis: Where do they go next from conflict-ridden Iran?

17h | Panorama
The Kallyanpur Canal is burdened with more than 600,000 kilograms of waste every month. Photo: Courtesy

Kallyanpur canal project shows how to combat plastic pollution in Dhaka

1d | Panorama
The GLS600 overall has a curvaceous nature, with seamless blends across every panel. PHOTO: Arfin Kazi

Mercedes Maybach GLS600: Definitive Luxury

3d | Wheels
Renowned authors Imdadul Haque Milon, Mohit Kamal, and poet–children’s writer Rashed Rouf seen at Current Book Centre, alongside the store's proprietor, Shahin. Photo: Collected

From ‘Screen and Culture’ to ‘Current Book House’: Chattogram’s oldest surviving bookstore

3d | Panorama

More Videos from TBS

Iran's Missile Range: How Far Can Tehran's Weapons Strike?

Iran's Missile Range: How Far Can Tehran's Weapons Strike?

36m | Others
Will the US be able to overthrow the Iranian government? What does history say?

Will the US be able to overthrow the Iranian government? What does history say?

2h | TBS World
From Local to Global: The World Burns in the Fire of Conflict

From Local to Global: The World Burns in the Fire of Conflict

3h | TBS World
What's going on in Netanyahu's head behind the regime change story?

What's going on in Netanyahu's head behind the regime change story?

17h | TBS World
EMAIL US
contact@tbsnews.net
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Advertisement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2025
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net