Fourteen Years Missing on the Way to Malaysia: Four Wives in Meherpur Still Wait
"My husband left for Malaysia fourteen years ago. My son was three and a half then, and my younger daughter was three months in my womb. Since then I have had no news of him. My children and I still watch the road for him. As long as I live, I will wait for his return." The words are those of Rehena Khatun of Ruiyerkandi village in Sholtaka union of Gangni upazila, Meherpur — whose husband Bablu Hossain has been missing for 14 years.
Hoping for prosperity, four men from Ruiyerkandi village — Bablu Hossain, Ganzer Ali, Ahad Ali and RifaJul Islam — set out for Malaysia through brokers in 2012. Nothing has been heard of them since. For 14 years, four families have counted the days waiting for their return.
Locals say the four men departed illegally by sea for Malaysia through Abul Kashem of Hemayetpur village in Gangni upazila and Akim Uddin of Hantubhanga village in Chuadanga. Since then, the two brokers have given the families no information about the four.
Rehena Khatun, wife of the missing Bablu, said: "My husband left home through two brokers named Akim Uddin and Abul Kashem, and there is no trace of them either. I have heard they fled to Dhaka." Since losing her husband, her days with her children have been spent in uncertainty.
Sofia Khatun, wife of the missing RifaJul Islam, describes the same uncertainty: "Some say my husband is alive, some say he is dead. As long as I live, I will keep watching for him." Not knowing whether they are alive or dead has become the families' greatest torment.
Jalia Khatun, wife of the missing Ganzer Ali, said: "My husband has been missing for a long 14 years. The brokers give no news either. I had a son — he too went to Malaysia and died of electrocution. I am living from hand to mouth." In one family, two generations of migration have met such a tragic fate.
Sharifa Khatun, wife of the missing Ahad Ali, said: "Fourteen years ago my husband left home to go to Malaysia. Since then I have not been able to contact him at all. I am raising my children with great hardship."
The affected families say that, having lost their earning members, they have spent all these years in want. Yet they have not given up hope. The wives of the missing men believe their husbands are still alive — and that perhaps one day they will return.
Villager Ruhujul Islam said nobody knows whether the four are alive or dead. Whether they reached Malaysia or died on the way, the broker ring will not say. Both brokers have fled, he said.
The case is a grim illustration of the risks of irregular migration. Every year there are reports of Bangladeshis going missing or dying on uncertain sea journeys; but for these four families of Ruiyerkandi, even after 14 years there is no answer — neither of life, nor of death.
Meherpur Superintendent of Police Ali Haider Chowdhury said legal action would be taken if the affected families file written complaints at the concerned police station.
Whether the families now take that path remains to be seen. But a written complaint could at least start a formal process to trace the brokers and learn what really happened on that journey 14 years ago — that is what the relatives hope.
