Ariful Haque Choudhury says licences of 52 recruiting agencies have been cancelled over alleged irregularities, while a women’s hostel and a five-bed hospital in Narayanganj are set to reopen on 7 November.
TBS Report
13 October, 2026, 06:10 pm
Last modified: 13 October, 2026, 06:12 pm
The government is regularly monitoring the safety of Bangladeshi expatriates in Saudi Arabia following an airport attack that killed two Bangladeshis and injured several others, Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury said today (13 October).
He urged expatriates to remain alert, stay in safe locations and contact the Bangladesh embassy in case of an emergency.
"We are regularly checking on the expatriates following the attack. I have personally spoken to the father of one of the injured and expressed my condolences and assured him of assistance," he told journalists after inspecting a labour welfare complex in Narayanganj's Bandar area.
The minister also said the government was taking steps to prevent fraud in overseas recruitment. The licences of 52 recruiting agencies had been cancelled over allegations of irregularities and fraud, while several establishments had been sealed, he said.
The government was also raising public awareness and taking legal action to prevent such practices, he added.
Ariful Haque said many travel agencies were providing overseas recruitment services without proper authorisation. To improve transparency, the government planned to bring every stage of the overseas recruitment process under an online system.
He expressed hope that visible changes would be achieved within the next four to five months.
Responding to a question about harassment of expatriates at airports, the minister said the government remained committed to resolving their problems. He urged people with specific complaints to email [email protected] for direct assistance.
The government plans to formally reopen a hostel for working women and a five-bed hospital at the labour welfare complex in Bandar on 7 November, Ariful Haque, who also serves as labour and employment minister, said.
He said he had inspected the facilities to ensure that working women in Narayanganj could work safely and access accommodation and medical care.
The government was working to fulfil local residents' long-standing expectations by resuming the facilities in full, he added.
Narayanganj-5 MP Abul Kalam, Labour and Employment Ministry Secretary Abdur Rahman Tarafdar, Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments Inspector General Md Farhad Siddik, Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training Director General Jamil Ahmed, and Department of Labour Director General Md Abdus Samad Al Azad were present during the visit and press briefing, along with senior ministry officials.