10 rackets active on aerial route:Daily Sun

The entry of Bangladeshi workers into Libya has been banned and over 100 of them have landed in the concentration camps there as some 10 groups are active here in human trafficking to that country by air. The ban has come as the Bangladeshis entering into the country contribute to the increase of illegal immigrants travelling through the country to Southern Europe, stated a Libyan government spoke

sperson. According to sources, even a few months ago, many Bangladeshi workers were dreaming of going to Italy via Libya. Over 100 of them have already landed in Libyan concentration camps in recent months on charges of illegal travelling, forgery of travel documents and holding fake visa at the behest of the human traffickers. The Bangladesh Embassy workers in Libya are also surprised over the incident of human trafficking by air. Some of the workers’ passports show that they travelled abroad using those documents before one year of their issuance and they also carried entry and exit seals. It is learnt that in 2012 the Bangladesh government announced closure of manpower export to Libya until the situation becomes normal there. Following some improvements in the situation subsequently manpower was exported to Libya on a limited scale subject to the clearance from the BMET. However, over the last one year the Bangladesh Embassy has been requesting for not sending any workers to that country because of the unrest prevailing there. But ignoring that request some groups are illegally trafficking workers to Libya. The Bangladeshis detained in Libya have blamed 10 groups in Bangladesh for this. The Bangladesh Embassy in Libya has informed Dhaka of those 10 groups working in different districts and urged for taking action against them.   Meanwhile, according to a Libyan newspaper report, the Tobruk government of Libya, which is internationally recognised, has banned the entry of Bangladeshi workers to Libya. It is because of the large number of Bangladeshi workers entering the country, many of whom have “contributed to the high number of illegal immigrants travelling from our shores to Southern Europe”, according to a government spokesman. Spokesman Hatem Oraibi said action would be taken against the Bangladeshis already in Libya but did not state what it would be. There are no reliable figures on the number of Bangladeshi boat people crossing to Europe through Libya. They are thought to account for a small but significant percentage of those being smuggled across the Mediterranean. Most, however, are thought to have also entered Libya illegally in the first place, usually from Egypt, reports Libyan Herald. The vast majority of illegal migrants crossing the Mediterranean are from sub-Saharan Africa.