VZCZCXRO5840
OO RUEHCI RUEHDE
DE RUEHKA #1058/01 1770822
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 260822Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY DHAKA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4417
INFO RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 7988
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1714
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 9158
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0002
RUEHKU/AMEMBASSY KUWAIT 0243
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI 0952
RUEHMK/AMEMBASSY MANAMA 0184
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 0287
RUEHDO/AMEMBASSY DOHA 0198
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 0080
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 0810
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 0837
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DHAKA 001058 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB ETRD KCRM KWMN KFRD PHUM BG
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT ATTENTION FOCUSED ON ADDRESSING MIGRANT 
LABOR ABUSES 
 
REF: DHAKA 419 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY.  The Ministry of Expatriate Welfare pledged 
its cooperation with the Embassy in combating labor 
trafficking and tracking investigations and prosecutions of 
these cases.  Deputy Secretary Datta outlined for us the 
various enforcement tools at their disposal, and described 
some of the improvements that have been implemented in recent 
months in the labor export industry. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU) On June 8 POLOFF and USAID met with Sudhaker Datta, 
Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and 
Overseas Employment, to discuss USG concerns regarding 
migrant labor abuse and labor trafficking issues. 
 
LABOR EXPORTS: THE LAY OF THE LAND 
================================== 
 
¶3. (SBU) Datta emphasized the management of the Bangladesh 
labor export industry is a joint government-private sector 
operation.  The Ministry of Expatriate Welfare has 
responsibility for overseeing the labor export market in 
Bangladesh.  The Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training 
(BMET), under the Ministry, maintains a database of workers. 
BMET also conducts investigations into recruitment agency 
abuses, and recommends actions to the Ministry.  BMET has 21 
offices (called District Employment and Manpower offices) 
throughout the country. These district offices also attempt 
to do outreach and provide accurate information for 
prospective laborers. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Bangladesh Association of International 
Recruitment Agencies (BAIRA) is the association that 
represents the interests of recruitment agencies.  The 
association also plays a key facilitation role.  In Malaysia, 
for example, they collect visas and work permits and send 
them to suitable recruitment agencies in Bangladesh. After 
the arrest of BAIRA's president and dissolution of BAIRA's 
board because of allegations of corruption and overcharging, 
the government appointed an interim Deputy Secretary to run 
the organization temporarily. (REFTEL) 
 
¶5. (SBU) Presently, there are over 900 recruitment agencies 
registered with BMET, though the Ministry estimates there are 
only about 500 actually in operation.  There are only five or 
six large agencies able to process up to 1,000 workers per 
month. Recruitment agencies have to pay the Ministry a 
deposit of 700,000 taka ($10,150) when they register, and an 
annual renewal fee of 20,000 taka ($290). Recently, the 
Ministry has discussed raising the fee to two million taka 
($29,000), but raising the barriers to entry could create an 
industry dominated by just a few huge companies, and this 
could drive up the price of labor and harm Bangladesh's 
competitive edge. 
 
INCREASED ENFORCEMENT, OVERSIGHT 
================================ 
 
¶6. (SBU) Datta was optimistic the recent anti-corruption 
drive was yielding improvements in the export labor industry. 
 All recruitment agencies must be licensed by the Expatriate 
Welfare Ministry, which can issue administrative penalties 
such as seizing deposits and canceling licenses.  If offenses 
exceed the deposit amount, the Ministry takes the 
administrative actions it has at its disposal, and then 
refers the case to the Home Ministry for further action. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Malaysia's temporary freeze on the import of 
Bangladeshi laborers in 2006, combined with a series of raids 
by Bangladeshi authorities and closure of several recruitment 
agencies linked to abuses, have helped clean up the 
recruitment agency industry. After the reinstatement of a 
bilateral agreement with Malaysia, the number of expatriate 
workers going there has been steadily increasing, reaching 
70,000 in May. 
 
DHAKA 00001058  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
A PROCESS WITH NEW SAFEGUARDS... 
================================ 
 
¶8. (SBU) Datta described how a Malaysian company now recruits 
labor from Bangladesh.  First, the Malaysian company submits 
a request for Bangladeshi laborers to the Malaysian 
Immigration Department. Once permission is granted, the 
company goes to BAIRA's Kuala Lumpur office, which provides 
the Bangladeshi High Commission with company documents 
(contract, company profile, etc.) for approval and forwarding 
to the Expatriate Welfare Ministry in Dhaka. 
 
¶9. (SBU) The Expatriate Welfare Ministry reviews the 
documentation. Once BAIRA is informed of an approval, it 
selects recruitment agencies it has chosen to fill the order. 
The recruitment agencies, which have workers waiting to be 
placed, provide BMET with names, passport numbers, and 
fingerprints.  BMET then forwards this information to the 
Malaysian Immigration Department.  The government of Malaysia 
grants permission for those people to enter the country and 
authorizes the High Commission in Dhaka to issue visas. Once 
visas are issued, the Immigration Department informs the 
Kuala Lumpur International Airport officials and police of 
the names and flights of the workers. 
 
...BUT STILL NOT PERFECT 
======================== 
 
¶10. (SBU) In one recent case, Bangladeshi newspapers reported 
that several workers were left stranded at Kuala Lumpur 
International Airport for days without money, food, or phone 
access, upon disembarking from a flight from Dhaka.  Datta 
explained the workers missed their original flight, and the 
recruitment agency failed to inform the Malaysian authorities 
of the new arrival flight.  The Expatriate Ministry is 
currently pursuing proceedings against the recruitment agency 
involved, which will most likely result in a financial 
penalty. 
 
¶11. (SBU) When cases like this arise, the Bangladesh High 
Commission in Kuala Lumpur is usually contacted immediately. 
In this case, a breakdown in communication resulted in the 
High Commission not being notified until the situation was 
nearly resolved.  Datta acknowledged the need for better 
coordination between the Foreign Ministry and Expatriate 
Welfare Ministry in the handling of cases such as this. 
 
¶12. (SBU) Datta said the Expatriate Welfare Ministry is 
trying to improve services for migrant workers, though it is 
challenging since many workers have never been abroad before, 
and the majority are illiterate.  The Ministry produces 
emergency information cards that are now included in all 
workers' information packets, and Bangladeshi diplomats are 
receiving improved training in how to respond to migrant 
workers who come to the embassy seeking assistance. 
 
COMMENT: MUCH ACCOMPLISHED, MUCH STILL TO BE DONE 
============================================= ==== 
 
¶13. (SBU) COMMENT. The Expatriate Welfare Ministry has been 
extremely responsive to our efforts to engage them in a 
dialogue on combating labor migration abuses.  The government 
as a whole still tends to view trafficking through the lens 
of sexual trafficking and child exploitation, but they are 
cooperating with us in the development of an action plan to 
fold labor into our joint anti-trafficking strategy. 
Resources, particularly case tracking, remain the main 
problem, but we are hopeful the government will be able to 
expand its current case tracking system to incorporate 
prosecutions of labor abuses as well. END COMMENT. 
 
¶14. (SBU) Post continues to work closely with the Bangladesh 
government, and especially the ministries for Home Affairs 
and Expatriate Welfare, to address trafficking-related issues 
 
DHAKA 00001058  003 OF 003 
 
 
and create and maintain adequate tracking systems for ongoing 
cases. 
PASI