Chief Adviser urges Australia to increase regular migration from Bangladesh

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Thursday urged the Australian government to regularise migrants and increase regular migration from Bangladesh.

He came up with the call when Australia’s Home Minister Tony Burke called on him (Chief Adviser) at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka.

During the meeting, the visiting Australian minister, the most high-profile Australian official to have visited Bangladesh since the interim government took over, raised the issue of irregular migration from Bangladesh, saying his government would like to start negotiations over the matter.

He said they were considering an increased number of regular migrations from Bangladesh.

He told the Chief Adviser about their plan to bring its visa centre back to Dhaka and hold negotiations to prevent irregular migration between Bangladesh and Australia.

Prof Yunus thanked the minister for visiting Bangladesh at a crucial time for the country and for supporting the interim government in its efforts to carry out much-needed reforms.

Burke, whose constituency is home to a large number of Bangladeshi diaspora, said he followed events in the country with much interest and witnessed their big celebrations after the fall of the dictatorial regime.

“There is a lot of optimism and hope,” he said about the post-revolution expectations.

The Chief Adviser admitted that the task of rebuilding the country was big since the dictatorship destroyed all institutions and the economy was in shambles.

“The challenges are big. Dealing with expectations is the most difficult part. But people are patient. We’ve got to build the structures again,” he said.

Bangladesh’s rich history, including the historic Language Movement, also came up during the discussion. “The seed of our independence came from this movement,” Prof Yunus said.

The Chief Adviser discussed the work of the commissions including the five-member Disappearance Investigation Panel, which is probing hundreds of cases of enforced disappearances that occurred during the dictatorship.

Prof Yunus handed a copy of the Art of Triumph, a book on the graffiti and murals drawn on the walls of the cities and towns in the country during the mass uprising.

The Australian home minister appreciated the gift, saying he would visit some parts of the city to look at the arts himself.