Bangladeshis in Eswatini urged to live in harmony
MBABANE – State Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Mohammed Shahriar Alam has warned his fellow nationals living in Eswatini not to engage in violence against each other.
This was after the minister was asked if he was aware of such violent acts and what his government back home was doing about it.
As confirmed by the minister, there are about 1 000 Bangladeshi nationals living in Eswatini.
He said he was not aware about specific cases of violence among Bangladeshis in Eswatini but in his nine years as a foreign affairs minister he had come across one or two such incidents in other countries, where the population of Bangladeshis was much larger.
“This is uncalled for and embarrassing also. But unfortunately the nature of human beings is such that sometimes they commit some things they shouldn’t be doing against their own people and family relatives. They must refrain from doing so because no one is going to spare them. Back home if we come across someone who has committed something illegal overseas, we have a history of numerous examples, our law enforcement and Judiciary will act accordingly. So, they must refrain from fighting between each other and I hope the number is not something which sounds as unreal,” Alam said.
VIOLENCE
The most recent case of such violence took place in December 2019, when Yousuf Miah was killed while attending a meeting to mitigate some dispute among the fellow Bangladeshi nationals. Four others had to be hospitalised following that rift which happened in the town of Nhlangano in the southern part of the country known as Shiselweni Region.
Another such incident occurred in March 2019 when MD Delower Hossain, popularly known as Gazi, was arrested and charged for the murder of fellow countryman Sarwer Hossain who was found dead, with a gashing wound on his head, inside his flat at Parkview Heights in Mbabane.
Gazi is currently in jail, as he awaits his fate. Meanwhile, Bangladeshi ambassador to Ewatini and South Africa, Noor-E Helal Saifur Rahman called upon government to expedite the investigation on this case and provide a platform for a fair trial.
On the other hand, Minister Alam said in his meeting with Eswatini-based Bangladeshi nationals, they expressed their happiness by being in the kingdom and the many opportunities they had here.
“It’s a tough job for anyone to leave their homeland and pursue a career in a far away land like Eswatini. But the people are hospitable, the environment is good, the weather is good, it’s a very good country for them to do what they are doing, so I call upon them to maintain law and order and listen and abide by the local rules and regulation and support the government and the people and the businesses in the Kingdom,” he said.