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Hi. What’s wrong with Bangladesh? See below
for negative reports on Bangladesh. Would like to hear your story. Please drop
me a line. Thks. Auntie
Further Reference
Why Are More Countries Shutting Their Doors
to Bangladeshis?
Bangladeshis seeking to leave the country
are not getting visas easily.
The Bangladesh passport is the seventh
weakest in the world.
By Siam Sarower Jamil
The Diplomat
September 29, 2025
https://thediplomat.com/2025/09/why-are-more-countries-shutting-their-doors-to-bangladeshis/
Key Points:
- Following the historic July 2024 uprising and the dramatic fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime, a new chapter of political hope appeared to have dawned in Bangladesh. At the center of this hope was Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, who is now the chief adviser of the interim government.
- The Yunus-led interim government presented itself as a progressive alternative, promising reforms, dignity, and international recognition. Yet, more than a year after this so-called “transformation,” there has been no progress on the ground. Neither have reforms been made, nor has the law and order situation improved. Instead, a silent national crisis has begun to emerge — thousands of people are trying to leave the country.
- While some are leaving the country legally, many are opting for illegal means. And that has led to the continued devaluation and global rejection of Bangladeshi passports.
- From India to Indonesia, Vietnam to Thailand — even Tajikistan, which once offered e-visas within one hour — governments are now making it difficult for Bangladeshis to enter foreign countries. Visa denials, delays, and bans have become the norm.
- The first major failure of the Yunus-led interim government was in diplomacy. Immediately after the political change in August 2024, India, Bangladesh’s neighbor, stopped issuing tourist visas to Bangladeshis.
- Indonesia has also stopped on-arrival visas for Bangladeshis on the pretext of human trafficking.
- Thailand, which previously issued e-visas to Bangladeshis within a week, is now taking 40-50 days to process visas for Bangladeshi nationals.
- The UAE has reduced the number of visas it issues to Bangladeshis; on average, only 30 to 50 Bangladeshis are getting UAE visas per day.
- Vietnam has stopped issuing tourist visas to Bangladeshis.
- Italy has more than 60,000 Bangladeshi visa applications pending.
- Several Western countries like the U.K. and Canada have issued an alert for those traveling to Bangladesh.
- The Yunus government talks about “reforms” and “justice,” while on the other hand, there is uncertainty about elections. Although Yunus has called for elections in February, the National Citizen Party (NCP), a party formed by student protesters with whom he is said to be close, would like the elections to be deferred.
- Bangladeshi passports have fallen into a terrible crisis, causing suffering to millions of people. Businessmen are also facing great losses due to the passport crisis.
- Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. But in 2025, he is leading a country that loses international dignity with every rejected visa.
Govt moves to repatriate illicit funds from 10 territories
BANGLADESH
Rejaul Karim Byron
The Daily Star
1 April 2026
Key Points:
- Bangladesh authorities are seeking to establish legal agreements with nine countries and one territory, which have been identified as the primary destinations for laundered money, as part of efforts to recover illicit funds transferred abroad.
- The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has submitted an updated report to the government detailing the scale of the problem and the steps being taken to address it.
- According to a Bangladesh Bank official, the destinations now under focus are Canada, the US, the UK, the UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Switzerland, Thailand, and Hong Kong.
- Negotiations are underway to sign mutual legal assistance treaties (MLATs) with these countries. However, progress has been uneven.
- Malaysia, Hong Kong and the UAE have agreed to sign treaties, while the US, the UK and Switzerland have proposed alternative arrangements, including memoranda of understanding and case-by-case agreements. Bangladesh already has MLATs with India and South Africa.
- Zahid Hussain, former lead economist at the World Bank’s Dhaka office, cautioned that treaties alone are insufficient, because laundered funds are, in his words, “very footloose”.
- Once launderers learn that Bangladesh has signed an agreement with a particular country, they move the money elsewhere, forcing investigators to begin the chase anew.“You are chasing a moving target,” Zahid said.
- Zahid is sceptical about the prospect of recovering much of the funds, with legal obstacles adding to the challenge.“The possibility [of recovering the funds] is very low,” he told The Daily Star yesterday. He explained that the legal process lies outside Bangladesh’s jurisdiction.
- “One has to apply the laws of the country where the money entered. First, it must be frozen, then seized, and then transferred by applying the laws of both countries,” he said.
- Data from Washington-based think tank Global Financial Integrity (GFI) underscores the severity of the problem. In a report published on March 27, the organisation estimated that Bangladesh lost approximately $68 billion to illicit financial outflows between 2013 and 2022 -- about $6.8 billion a year.
- Zahid noted the sharp deterioration. Between 2003 and 2012, the figure was $1.3 billion. “It has increased sixfold,” he said. Of the total, around $32.8 billion flowed to advanced economies, according to the report.
- GFI’s analysis, covering 24 developing Asian economies, placed Bangladesh among the 10 worst-affected countries in the region. The dominant mechanism, Zahid said, was trade misinvoicing: under-invoicing in export and over-invoicing in import.
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