Bahrain Mirror - Exclusive: The Bangladeshi Ambassador in Bahrain, Muminar Rahman said that "His country requested the cooperation of the security services in Bahrain to reach Bangladeshi individuals involved in the illegal activities, because we are a community that can engage in their society more than any local person, and we want to cooperate with Bahrain to reach them", according to what he told a local newspaper.

"We have helped to remove a person involved in criminal activities called "Ma'amoun", but he returned to Bahrain, and this is not the first time he has been deported, he has been deported three times from Bahrain and returned back. He purchased a residence permit and returned to his criminal activities, and this is a huge part of the problem. We do not disagree about their crimes, but unfortunately there are those who sell residency permits to criminals", he added.

Unfortunately, Muminar, the government of Bahrain is the one who sells residence permits to the criminals, and is not keen on the security and future of the country as you are. Some are only keen to enhance their "pockets" and maintain their power, even if at the cost of destructing the social fabric and spreading crimes.

The Labor Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), established by Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad under the banner of organizing the market and creating job opportunities for Bahrainis, has become one of the largest "visa merchants" in Bahrain. Since the launch of the flexible work permit on May 23, 2017, the authority started competing with the gurus of "free visas", who are friends with Khalifa bin Salman.

The Flexi Permit

In an official government statement (September 18, 2016), it said it has agreed to introduce a system that provides a legal alternative to the use of irregular labor, through a permit issued by the Labor Market Regulatory Authority for a foreign worker for a period of two years enabling him to work temporarily with any employer or individual in any profession that does not require a professional license to practice it.

However, the head of the Authority Osama al-Absi explained that "the system classifies the beneficiary groups into three: employees with non-renewed permits after their termination, employees who did not leave the Kingdom after the annulment of their work permit issued on their behalf, and employees whose work permit was canceled due to the cancelation of the commercial registry for which they had worked".

In the decision published by the Labor Market Regulatory Authority on its website, and under the part related to the advantages of the Flexi Permit, it addressed the workers saying, "You will be legal. There is no Employer, you can work alone on contract basis with anyone you want based on your occupation. You may travel and come back - You will have a renewable two-year residency, and re-entry visa."

The authority gave the right to these categories of unskilled labor to reside in the country, what would such an employment add to the economy? An employment with no profession, what would it do other than set up irregular markets, complete with simple Bahrainis in earn their living, establish trade of forbidden items, and spread crime? What are you hoping for in return?

For 449 Bahraini dinars for two years, the government granted all cheap labor the right to remain in the country under the name of flexible permit. In return for securing that amount, this worker finds himself obliged to do anything, even doing the "illegal activities" as the Bangladeshi ambassador calls them.

The Ambassador describes the activities of a member of his community, who was sold a residence permit in Bahrain by the Authority or the "visa merchants", saying, "This person is involved in fraud, looting, robbery, people and women trafficking. He has a Pakistani partner who employs Bengalis in gambling tablets and works in women trafficking. You can, as journalists, investigate his activities. He trafficked 12 Bangladeshi women and forced them into prostitution, and we sent them back to Bangladesh, but we don't disclose everything we do here. We simply do not talk to the press about our activities in this regard."

All of this information is known to the ambassador who comes from a military background. He succeeded in rescuing the women and deporting them to his country. Given his many years of military background, he would know that the Bahraini Ministry of Interior is aware of the dangers of irregular employment, and even though it has given it a flexible system, it has done nothing serious to stop all this absurdity, due to who stands behind it. Could it be that the meeting between Head of Public Security Tariq al-Hassan and the Bangladeshi Ambassador, that took place Sunday (August 12, 2018) came so that the first would ask the Ambassador not to disclose more scandals to the press?

Arabic Version