Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said the government has initiated a plan to send 10,000 workers to Malaysia without any official cost. He made the announcement as chief guest at a discussion meeting on safe migration and preventing illegal overseas travel at the Sunamganj deputy commissioner’s conference room on Tuesday.

The information was published on the BNP media cell’s Facebook page. The minister stressed that workers need necessary training and language skills before going abroad, saying it is essential not only to send workers overseas but also to make them skilled.

He said there are plans to establish five training centres across Sunamganj’s five electoral areas. Elected representatives and the administration will need to work together to ensure trainers and trainees at those centres. He also called on prospective migrant workers to receive training in English, Arabic, Japanese, Chinese and Korean, and to travel abroad through legal channels after acquiring the required skills.