Image Credits: Gulf News
Bangladeshi expatriates in the UAE are gripped with anxiety as violent clashes between protesters and police continue to escalate back home. The situation has been exacerbated by widespread communication disruptions, including a nationwide internet shutdown.
“There is no way we can reach our families,” worried expats told Khaleej Times on Friday. As the unofficial death toll from the ongoing student protests reached 50, according to an AFP count from hospitals nationwide, telecom links have been severely disrupted, and television news channels have gone offline. Overseas phone calls and internet communications have been cut off, while several Bangladeshi news websites and their social media accounts have been inactive.
Akram Hassan, a 28-year-old resident of Sharjah, has been trying incessantly to contact his family in Bangladesh. “The internet was very slow over the last four days, and I could barely get in touch. However, from yesterday morning, it was completely shut down, and I don’t know what condition my family is in,” said Hassan, who hails from Feni town. “The situation in our country is dire — and what’s worse is that I can’t even call my family directly because connectivity has been cut off.”
The Bangladeshi government has not addressed the communication blackout, but police in Dhaka have imposed an indefinite ban on all public gatherings and processions. The unrest deemed the worst Bangladesh has seen in years, stems from student demands to scrap the government’s preferential hiring rules for civil service jobs. Analysts suggest that economic woes are further fueling the anger.
Altaf Hussain, a 40-year-old expat living in Dubai, expressed his deep concern. “My family didn’t have enough food supplies at home, and I have no idea how they are coping without adequate provisions,” said Hussain, a printing and advertising executive in Deira. He finally reached his wife on Thursday morning after nearly five days of failed attempts. “She was explaining the situation in Dhaka. I instructed her to obtain essentials from a relative’s store nearby. Since the internet was cut off at the same time, I’m deeply concerned about my children and family. I’m also uncertain about how many supplies they have at home.”
Similarly, Ashraful Islam in Jebel Ali has not been able to speak to his family for days. “The last update I received was about escalating clashes that led to two deaths in our city. I am extremely worried about my family’s safety and well-being,” said Islam, a 25-year-old expat from Chittagong, Bangladesh. “We’re in a critical situation, and this silence, coupled with the inability to contact my loved ones, is frightening.”