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International Migration News - Volume #8 | |
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South Asia
Pakistan in Fall 2000 began restricting the entry of Afghans through the Kyber Pass: Afghans are fleeing continued fighting as well as drought. Pakistan has 14 private armies that grew out of the US-funded effort to oppose the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, including several committed to holy wars to defend and spread Islam, and these armies use both Afghanistan and Kashmir to train and hide. Pakistan is the only Muslim country created solely to preserve a religious identity. Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheik Hasina Wajed, in a December 3 interview with the Los Angeles Times, said that "globalization in its purest form should not have any boundaries, so small countries with big populations should be able to send population to countries with big boundaries and small populations." Bangladesh has about half the US population in an area the size of Wisconsin, and has two million workers abroad. Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka's Foreign Employment Bureau reported on December 18 that remittances increased 14 percent over the same period last year. Remittances were a record high US$780 million during the first nine months of 2000. Over 19,000 Sri Lankans sought foreign employment through the bureau between January and September and 1.5 million others were employed in foreign countries. In addition to the traditional oil-rich Gulf countries, Sri Lankans have been also welcomed to Cyprus, Malaysia, the Maldives and South Korea.
"Sri Lankan expatriate
remittances reach new high," Xinhua News Service, December 18,
2000. | |
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