Bangladesh arranges for repatriation of Thai, own nationals

By Md. Kamruzzaman​​​​​​​

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – Bangladesh has arranged for the repatriation of 37 Bangladeshi and Thai nationals from Thailand, said a Foreign Ministry statement on Sunday.

A special Saturday flight of Bangladesh’s flag carrier reached those citizens, who were stranded due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on international flights, to the airport in the capital Dhaka.

“The flight was arranged on a self-payment basis in line with the Bangladeshi government’s commitment to extend all possible assistance and support to stranded Bangladeshis abroad,” said the statement.

Mohammed Abdul Hye, Bangladesh’s ambassador to Thailand, thanked the Thai government for extending their cooperation in the repatriation process during the pandemic.

Since surfacing in Wuhan, China in December 2019, the death toll from coronavirus has since reached nearly 4 million, with 181 million cases to date, according to the US’ Johns Hopkins University.

The virus has also killed more than 14,000 people in Bangladesh, while total cases in the South Asian nation of 165 million people have topped 8.8 million, according to government data, though non-governmental sources put the figure much higher.

The ministry statement added that since the outbreak of the pandemic in Bangladesh in March 2020, the country has facilitated 15 special flights from Bangkok to Dhaka in coordination with authorities from both states.