Foreigners working in apparel factories in different industrial zones outside the capital are now under extensive security vigilance by Industrial Police (IP) following the recent terrorist attacks, officials said. IP members have already prepared a list of some 4,000 foreigners, currently working in various ready-made garment (RMG) factories in Ashulia, Gazipur, Narayanganj and Chittagong, they added. A total of 3,210 RMG units, excluding those in Dhaka metropolitan city, are under the jurisdiction of IP. Of these, some 766 garment factories are located in Ashulia, 955 in Gazipur, 852 in Narayanganj, and 632 in Chittagong. Some 1,721 foreigners are working in the Export Processing Zones (EPZs) in Dhaka, Narayanganj and Chittagong, while about 2,146 are employed outside the EPZs, according to IP officials. “Some 4,000 foreigners are working in the RMG units, under the jurisdiction of Industrial Police,” IP director general Abdus Salam told the FE on Monday. Foreign experts from 20 countries, mainly from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and China, are currently working in the garment factories in Ashulia, Gazipur, Narayanganj and Chittagong. Majority of them are serving as consultant, quality controller and supervisor, designer, human resource officer and marketing officer, he said. “We are providing security to them from their residence to workstations.” IP members are on duty round the clock in each of the big factories, while teams are engaged to ensure security of every five to seven small units, he added. Besides, they are providing full-time security to global buyers and retailers during their stay in Bangladesh following requests from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), he noted. Accord, the European buyers-led platform, in separate meetings with BGMEA leaders and the home minister recently, expressed its concern over the latest terrorist attacks in the country. In the Gulshan café attack nine Italians were killed, who were involved in garment business. Bangladesh Garment Buying House Association (BGBA) at a press conference on July 18 also expressed concern over the attacks. It said the foreign buyers have started postponing their scheduled visits to Dhaka for business negotiations, citing security reasons. In many cases, the buyers have asked their local agents to be present in a third country for meeting along with representatives from other exporting countries, BGBA added. According to Board of Investment (BoI), some 26,600 foreigners have taken work permit from the organisation during the last five years, and majority of them are employed in RMG sector. Of these foreigners, some 7,920 are from India, 2,612 from Pakistan, 2,873 from Sri Lanka, and more than 2,800 from China.
