'All this destruction is wrong': Bangladeshi residents in UAE call for peace

Embassy in Abu Dhabi urges restraint and respect for rule of law

Student leaders in Bangladesh demanded that Muhammad Yunus act as chief adviser of a caretaker government, a day after the military took control as mass demonstrations forced long-time ruler Sheikh Hasina to flee. AFPShow less

Long-time Bangladeshi residents in the UAE have spoken of the need for peace in their home country after weeks of turmoil.

An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is set to be formed after Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled for India.

At least 300 people died in clashes with security forces and her supporters.

Bangladeshis in the Emirates, where hundreds of thousands reside, spoke of the need for a calm transition to democracy after years of single-party rule.

Community leaders further said there was a need to keep the politics of their home country away from the streets of the Emirates.

“All expatriate Bangladeshis living in the UAE are requested to show utmost restraint, remain calm, live in peace and harmony, and abide by the laws and regulations of the host country,” Bangladesh's embassy in Abu Dhabi said.

I tell them to pray for Bangladesh but don’t raise protests here and go on the streets – that is not allowed

H Rashid,
Bangladeshi businessman who has lived in Dubai for more than 30 years

It posted messages on social media reminding its citizens that – as per UAE law – meetings, processions and raising slogans were prohibited without permission from authorities.

The embassy also warned that recording and circulating video footage of demonstrations on social media was banned.

“We have issued advisories to restrain our citizens from taking part in any unlawful activities in the UAE,” a consular official told The National. "They need to be peaceful, stay at peace with other nationals and need to give high respect to the law here."

The embassy reached out to the community after groups of Bangladeshis last month organised demonstrations in the UAE protesting against the policies of their government.

The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal handed life sentences to three Bangladeshi citizens for inciting public protests, while 53 others were each jailed for 10 years each and another for 11 years for entering the country illegally to take part in the protests.

In the UAE, residents who have made the country their home for decades spoke out against violence spilling on to the streets.

The residents who spoke to The National to call for calm asked for their full names not to be disclosed.

'I just want my wife and children to be safe'

“There must be peace, that is the only way,” said H Rashid, a businessman who has lived in Dubai for more than 30 years.

“I have told my staff we are guests in this country.

“I tell them to pray for Bangladesh but don’t raise protests here and go on the streets – that is not allowed.

“We see on the news how people set fire to buildings and destroy property in Bangladesh – all this destruction is wrong.

“Also, we are foreigners here and that is a political matter far away, we should not get involved.”

This was echoed by Abdul, a transport worker who has been in touch with his family in Bangladesh to make sure they were safe.

“My son is a student and I told him to stay indoors or go back to the village,” said Abdul, a UAE resident for more than a decade.

“I check the news often and I’m sure the army will maintain peace until the new government comes in.

“I just want my wife and children to be safe at home.

“Here in the UAE, I tell my friends, ‘Let’s not talk politics, we came here to work'.

“This political problem is at home, not here.

“I feel there is no place for commotion in the UAE, we must live in peace with others and just continue with our work.”

Another Bangladeshi resident who has lived in the UAE for more than 40 years said violence had no place in the community.

“We came here to earn money, not to talk politics,” said the man, who asked to remain anonymous.

“We have been away for a long time, we hope for good things for Bangladesh.

“We must only look at spreading peace and calm.”