Participants welcomed the arrest of Lt Gen (retd) Masud Uddin Chowdhury, whom they described as one of the chief architects of irregularities, corruption and disorder in the Malaysian labour market during the tenure of the erstwhile Awami League government.
A participant speaks at a human chain held by the “Baira Syndicate-Birodhi Oikya Front,” a platform of labour recruiters, near the National Press Club on 29 March 2026. Photo: TBS
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A participant speaks at a human chain held by the “Baira Syndicate-Birodhi Oikya Front,” a platform of labour recruiters, near the National Press Club on 29 March 2026. Photo: TBS
The “Baira Syndicate-Birodhi Oikya Front,” a platform of labour recruiters, held a human chain this morning (29 March) demanding the dismantling of alleged syndicates controlling Bangladesh’s labour market for Malaysia and the prosecution of those involved.
The demonstrators called for the trial of key figures allegedly behind the syndicate, including Lt Gen (retd) Masud Uddin Chowdhury, Nizam Hazari, Benazir Ahmed, Lotus Kamal, Kala Firoz, Mansur Kalam, Kazi Mofiz and former Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) secretary general Md Ruhul Amin Shawpon, along with Datuk Amin and others they claimed had benefited from the system.
Participants welcomed the arrest of Masud, whom they described as one of the chief architects of irregularities, corruption and disorder in the Malaysian labour market during the tenure of the erstwhile Awami League government.
They urged authorities to bring all remaining syndicate members to justice.
The human chain, near the National Press Club, also demanded that Bangladesh’s labour market for Malaysia be opened without syndicate interference, allowing all licensed recruiting agencies to send workers, in line with the system followed by 14 other labour-sending countries.
Speakers at the event appealed to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to ensure a fair and transparent recruitment process and to prevent the re-emergence of syndicates in the overseas employment sector.
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