Ministry of Foreign Affairs has assured that Maldivians residing in Bangladesh are safe following the conflicts currently occurring in the country.
The ministry released a statement assuring that they are closely monitoring the situation in Bangladesh. As such, the ministry disclosed that they have been providing necessary assistance to students, families, and others who have registered with the High Commission in Bangladesh. The ministry reiterated that the condition of all the Maldivians in Bangladesh is generally good.
The statement read that two Maldivian students who were studying in medical schools in the northern areas of Bangladesh requested to return to Maldives following the closure of their respective schools, due to the unrest. Hence, the Maldivian High Commission in Bangladesh, in collaboration with the Maldivian High Commission in India, provided the necessary assistance to the students to cross the Bangladesh-India border via a bus.
The statement urged Maldivians residing or travelling to Bangladesh, to follow the orders of the Bangladeshi administration and refrain from going outdoors as a curfew has been declared in Bangladesh, to control the violent student-led protests. The ministry requested the Maldivians in Bangladesh to follow the measures and advises given by the Maldivian High Commission in Bangladesh and to contact the High Commission if additional assistant is required.
The quotas on government jobs sparked deadly student-led protests in Bangladesh, killing at least 114 people, against what included reserving 30% of government positions for the families of those who fought for independence from Pakistan. In addition to the deaths, the protests have injured thousands, according to data from hospitals across Bangladesh.
Dismissing a lower court order, the Supreme Court's Appellate Division directed that 93% of government jobs in country should be open to candidates on merit. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government had scrapped the quota system in 2018, but the lower court reinstated it last month, pegging total quotas at 56%, sparking the protests and an ensuing government crackdown.