It is an unfortunate reality that the expatriates whose blood, sweat, and tears keep the country's economy moving, and whose remittances strengthen the foundation of the national reserve, are filled with unknown panic and humiliation the moment they set foot on home soil. The joy of returning to one's homeland is instantly overshadowed by the mismanagement and misconduct of some dishonest officials and employees at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and other major airports across the country. As an expatriate, with deep anger and sorrow, I strongly demand an end to the regular harassment of expatriates at the airport today.
The moment they step into the airport, expatriates are looked at as if they are criminals or a means to extort money easily. Long immigration queues and waiting for hours to collect luggage have now become daily routines. Added to this are unnecessary interrogations in the name of customs checking and various forms of harassment under the guise of searching belongings. Often, money is demanded under various pretexts even for small gift items bought with the hard-earned money of expatriates, which is extremely shameful and insulting.
While airports in various countries around the world provide the utmost respect and modern services to their passengers and expatriates, in our country expatriates receive the exact opposite treatment. When an expatriate lands on home soil with a tired body after toiling for years in foreign lands, what they deserve is a little warm reception and a little empathy. Instead, they get harsh words and bureaucratic harassment.
We are not begging or asking for mercy from the government; we want our minimum civil rights and respect back. Security for expatriates at the airport must be ensured, the luggage delivery process must be made fast and modern, and the menace of bribery, corruption, and middlemen must be stopped forever through CCTV surveillance. This crisis will not be resolved unless strict, exemplary punitive measures are taken against those involved in harassing expatriates.
Our humble appeal to the Honorable Prime Minister and the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare—rather than addressing us as 'remittance warriors' or 'VIPs' merely on paper, give us a genuinely respectful environment at the airport in reality. Let the familiar picture of airport harassment change this time, so that expatriates can step off the plane in their own country with pride, their heads held high, and breathe a sigh of relief.