RIYADH, 21 August 2003 — Prince Muhammad ibn Nasir, governor of Jizan, has denied the arrest of Bangladeshi nationals following a raid on a terrorist hide-out in the region recently. Reports in the local press said a number of Bangladeshis were detained alongside Saudis following a raid on a terrorist cell on the second floor of a building in Qarboos village, east of Jizan city.
“Whatever reports have been published by the local press about the arrest of 11 workers from Bangladesh, suggesting their complicity in acts of terrorism on Saudi soil, are untrue and baseless,” Bangladesh Ambassador S. K. Sharjil Hassan quoted the Jizan governor as saying yesterday.
Ambassador Sharjil was in Jizan on Tuesday to hold talks with the governor on hearing news of the detention of Bangladeshi workers.
The report in Al-Jazirah Arabic daily said that the terrorist cell consisted of 10 Saudis including a police officer.
The massive raid at the hide-out in Qarboos village led to the seizure of a huge cache of arms including hand grenades, machine guns, explosives, chemicals and uniforms of security and police personnel. It said 11 Bangladeshis were detained for questioning following the raid.
But the diplomat said no Bangladeshi worker had been detained following the raid in Jizan, it emerged from talks with Prince Muhammad. “In fact, Bangladeshis have never been implicated in any serious crime,” he said.
“There have, however, been some workers, rounded up by the police, like other expatriate groups, on charges of committing general crimes like not having an Iqama,” the ambassador explained.
Sharjil said he was pleased that female workers especially maids from Bangladesh were being recruited again following the lifting of the 15-year old ban by the Saudi government. “It will be in the interest of Saudi households to have trained and more caring maids,” he said.
Dhaka has launched a nationwide training program and is ready to meet any human resources requirement. Saudi Arabia is home to over 1.1 million Bangladeshi workers.
The ambassador also spoke about the growing bilateral relations between Riyadh and Dhaka.
He said that Saudi Arabia had given around $100 million to build cyclone centers along the coastal areas of Bangladesh to help prevent casualties.
