36 names added to returnee list
Autonomous body should be formed to address compensation issue: Al Ekry
Sandeep Singh Grewal
Staff Reporter
Thirty-six new names have been added this year to the list of National Committee of Returnees.
Committee head, Abdulnabi Al Ekry, told the Tribune that they are in the process of verifying 370 cases and are coping with the additional increase of new names in the list.
36 names added to returnee list
Autonomous body should be formed to address compensation issue: Al Ekry
Sandeep Singh Grewal
Staff Reporter
Thirty-six new names have been added this year to the list of National Committee of Returnees.
Committee head, Abdulnabi Al Ekry, told the Tribune that they are in the process of verifying 370 cases and are coping with the additional increase of new names in the list.
“They are male and female political prisoners who were exiled in the 90s. The returnees have spent more than 20 years abroad with their families. There is no permanent solution yet to solve their problem of housing and pension,” said Al Ekry.
The committee represents 600 families whose members have returned from exile. The unemployed returnees are entitled to BD150 allowance from the Ministry of Social Development, while BD 180 is given to those who have no house and are living in rented premises.
Ekri said that the authorities have not shown interest in their case. “We recently met with the officials from the Ministry for a solution to their problem. The authorities have not adopted a fixed criteria or compensation for the returnees,” he said.
Al Ekri presented last year a memorandum on behalf of the committee in the Chamber of Deputies to draft a law that protects the interest of those returned from exile. Deputies unanimously approved the memorandum presented in the House
“There needs to be a legislation passed by the parliament that will help the returnees. An autonomous body should be formed to address this issue,” he said.
Last year, the Ministry of Social Development disbursed BD69,700 as allowance to the returnees. Al Ekry said there are 510 returnees who are listed with the Ministry and waiting to receive allowance.
He claims the number of families has reached over 650, but the Royal Court list to the ministry has only 510 families.
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