The Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia celebrated International Migrants Day and National Expatriates Day-2024 with great enthusiasm and festivities, keeping in mind the theme of 'Expatriates' rights, our commitment, Bangladesh without discrimination, all of us'.
On the occasion of the celebration of the day, a day-long discussion meeting, documentary screening, honoring of expatriate Bangladeshis, cultural programs and raffle draws were organized at the G Tower Hall in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday (December 18) to recognize the contribution of expatriates and to involve them more in the country's development activities.
Among the more than five hundred guests present, the presence of more than two hundred expatriate Bangladeshi workers wearing T-shirts with the red-green colors of the Bangladesh flag added a unique dimension to the event.
Representatives of various Malaysian immigration departments, local representatives of the International Organization for Migration, representatives of various embassies including Indonesia and Nepal, various expatriate Bangladeshi professionals, workers, leaders of the Bangladesh community and their Malaysian-origin spouses, students of various educational institutions, expatriate journalists, officials and employees of the Bangladesh High Commission and people from various walks of life were present at the event.
The event was presided over by Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia Md. Shamim Ahsan. The keynote address of the event was delivered by Heba Abdel Latif, Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Malaysia, Syed Shariful Islam, Councilor (Labor) of the High Commission, Hariri Bin Harun, Head of the Foreign Workers Division of the Social Security Organization in Malaysia, Dato Fu Yang Hui, Representative of Employers in Malaysia, Sultan Ahmed, CEO of Agrani Remittance House, Badlur Rahman Khan, Bangladesh Community Leader in Malaysia, Saifullah Mansur, and Mehedi Hassan, Company Employee of Unique Selatan Sdn Bhd.
In addition, Md. Ali Haider Mortuza, CEO of NBL Money Transfer, Malaysia, and Saidur Rahman Farazi, CEO of CBL Money Transfer were present.
The event read out messages from the President, Chief Adviser, Foreign Affairs Adviser, and Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser on the occasion. Then, special documentaries on the occasion of the day and the High Commission's activities for the welfare of expatriates were also screened.
In the discussion, Heba Abdel Latif, Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Malaysia, highly praised the Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia. He said that IOM is working closely with the Bangladesh High Commission and the Malaysian government to ensure the safety of the workers.
Hariri Bin Harun, Head of the Foreign Workers Division of the Malaysian Social Security Organization, said that Bangladeshi workers are playing an important role in the economic development of Malaysia. He also mentioned that the Malaysian Foreign Workers Division is working in solidarity with the High Commission to ensure the safety of the workers.
In his speech, the High Commissioner paid deep respect to the memory of all the martyrs of the Great Liberation War of '71 and the July-August Uprising of '24 and remembered the contribution of the brave fighters with gratitude. He extended his warm greetings to the Bangladeshi expatriates and visiting foreign guests present on the occasion of the day.
Shamim Ahsan said that the interim government of Bangladesh led by Nobel laureate Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus is firmly committed to the reconstruction of Bangladesh by ensuring good governance by bringing transformative reforms in important sectors. The High Commission is working sincerely as per the government's instructions.
He said that the Bangladeshi expatriates are playing an important role in the development of the host country Malaysia and Bangladesh. He said that Malaysia is the eighth largest investor in Bangladesh with a trade volume of about 4 billion dollars and the friendly relations between the two countries are strengthening day by day.
The High Commissioner urged the expatriates to send remittances through banks and said that sending money through legal channels will accelerate the country's economic development.
On the occasion of International Migrants Day and Expatriates' Day, the High Commission presented 18 successful expatriates, 3 institutions and 9 best remittance senders in 3 categories to expatriates living in Malaysia with honorary crests and certificates.
The awardees in the Education and Research category are: Sunway University Professor Saidur Rahman, Sabah University Professor Dr. Md. Lutfar Rahman, Sabah University Professor Dr. Md. Shafiquzzam Siddiqui, UTS University Associate Professor Dr. Abu Saleh Ahmed, Perdana University Professor Dr. Md. Nazmul Hassan Mazij, Islami University Professor AK Ahsanul Haque, Sunway University Professor Moeen Uddin Ahmed, University of Malaysia Sarawak Associate Professor Dr. Md. Rezaur Rahman.
The awardees in the Business category are: Altaf Khan, Md. Ruhul Amin Sarkar, Oli Islam, Dato Mizan and Mrs. Kohinoor.
In the professional category, the award was received by Selimul Hasnain Chowdhury. In the cultural category, the award was received by Dr. Marzia Jannat Mahua and Mrs. Shamima. In the social service category, Nusrat Sharmin and Brishti Khatun received the award.
Organization Category, Malaysia Bangladesh Forum Association, Dhaka University Alumni Association and Muslim Community of Bangladesh, Penang were awarded.
The top remittance senders awarded in the professional category were Abu Bakar Siddique, Dr. Mohammad Qutubur Rahman and Miss Jasmine Khan, while the top remittance senders awarded in the business category were Mohammad Al Amin Kazi, Md. Akter Hossain and Md. Aminur Rahman.
The awardees in the general worker category were Humayun Kabir, Md. Shahidul Islam and Sohel.
The honored expatriate Bangladeshis expressed their feelings and delivered speeches at the event. After the discussion program, a cultural program was organized with the performance of expatriate Bangladeshi artists. The colorful performances of the expatriate Bangladeshi artists in Malaysia in Bengali and Malay language and the colorful performances of the dance artists impressed the guests.