Xenophobia against Bangladeshi Workers in Maldives

Bangladeshi immigrant workers consist of about 8% of the total population of Maldives (3,00,000). Their labor is an integral part of the tourism and construction industries of the country. But in recent days there are reports of mob attacks against the Bangladeshi community. Some were also brutally murdered.

Now Bangladesh Government has taken up this issue strongly. Minivan News reports:

Bangladesh’s High Commissioner has told Minivan News he will consider pulling his country’s 25,000 expatriate workers out of the Maldives, if the government cannot guarantee their security.

The warning comes after police failure to prevent a wave of attacks on the dormitory of Bangladeshis working for the Malé Municipality.