The Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment has submitted a report to the High Court (HC) stating that recruiting agencies are responsible for the failure of 17,777 Bangladeshi workers to travel to Malaysia.
The report was submitted on Sunday (April 27) before the High Court bench comprising Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Mubina Asaf.

The information was confirmed by Tanvir Ahmed, the lawyer representing the petitioner. Although the report recommended taking action against the responsible recruiting agencies, it did not mention whether any punitive measures have been taken so far.

The court later directed the authorities to report by August 27 on what actions have been taken against the recruiting agencies, whether the affected workers have been refunded, and the progress regarding their travel to Malaysia.

It is worth noting that after a long suspension, Malaysia reopened its labor market to Bangladesh in August 2022. Until May 31, 2024, nearly 450,000 workers had migrated to Malaysia through 101 recruiting agencies. However, due to complications related to ticketing, more than 17,000 workers were unable to travel.