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DELEGATED LEGISLATION
Mr. Deputy Speaker (Sir Geoffrey Lofthouse): With permission, I shall put together the motions relating to delegated legislation.
Motion made, and Question put forthwith, pursuant to Standing Order No. 101(6) (Standing Committees on Delegated Legislation).
Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.--[Mr. Bates.]
Mr. Ronnie Campbell (Blyth Valley):
It gives me no pleasure to raise this matter tonight, as it is a sad case. A constituent of mine who had lived in Britain for more than 20 years returned to Bangladesh in early May to see his family. At the airport, it would appear that a bribe was not paid to customs officers, whereupon my constituent was seized and beaten up. He died as a result of his injuries.
As I said, it is a sad case. Apparently, however, this is fairly widespread in the countries in the middle east. Pakistan has a similar record of harassment towards expatriates going back home. India has a similar record, and Bangladesh--the country with which I am mainly concerned--has an atrocious record. I have brought the matter to the House because expatriates and British passport holders--people who have lived in this country for a long time--are being unduly harassed.
I want to try to explain to the House what has been happening. It might seem light to us, but it is not for those people who are travelling back home and are being harassed by people at the airport. It seems that this has gone on for a long time, and it has now resulted in a murder inquiry, which I am led to believe is going on in Dhaka.
It is sad to see that these things seem to be common practice and custom when they should have been stamped out. People come to see me with such stories, and I am sure that other hon. Members have similar stories. Such things may not seem much to us, but they are big problems for people travelling back to their homeland.
The witnesses that I have interviewed over the past week say that passports are collected by immigration officers. People are allowed to pass through and their passports are returned. However, one or two individuals will be stopped and immigration officials will claim that they have not got their passports. Those people are told that they must pay around £30 or £50 to the customs office. That may not sound much to us, but £20 is a month's wages to people in Bangladesh.
When the money is paid, immigration officials say that they have found the passports and give them back. They keep the passports under the shelf and pick on one or people to harass about not having their passports so that they can ask them for money. If such people do not want any hassle, they hand over the money. That has been going on for some time.
Travellers are often told by officials that if they pay £50, their luggage will not be opened. Bangladesh is a hot country and the atmosphere is tense, especially after a long flight from the UK. If they pay, their cases are marked with crosses and allowed to proceed through customs. If they do not pay, all their cases will be opened. Witnesses say that their belongings are thrown all over the place and heated debates follow because they have paid nothing. That is another form of harassment. They have to pick up their belongings from the floor.
Some travellers have to go to another airport, Sylhet, which is 200 or 300 miles away--the same distance as between London and Newcastle. They have to fly first to
Dacca, because Sylhet is not an international airport. It would not be a bad idea to make Sylhet an international airport. That would reduce harassment, because some passengers get it at both airports.
When passengers try to catch connecting flights, they are told that there are no seats on the plane to Sylhet. If they put their money on the table, they are told that it might be possible to get them a seat. Again, they are harassed. Even if the plane flies off with half a load, it does not matter to the officials. If they have not had their money, they make the passengers wait. Sometimes, passengers have to wait 24 or more hours for the next flight, and hope that they can get on without being harassed for money at every turn. That happens even when the connecting flight has numerous empty seats. There are only three flights a day, so the wait must be at least eight hours.
Imagine travelling with a group or family. Officials tell people that there is only room for three out of a group of five, and that the others must stop behind unless they make a back-hand payment. Few people want to leave half their family behind, so they pay. People who steadfastly refuse to pay the money are told that a seat on a connecting flight will be found when they have paid the money. If they get through without paying any money, they find when they arrive at Sylhet that their bags have not been put on the aeroplane. So they have more hassle when they arrive and find that, because they did not pay the money, their baggage is not at the other end.
I do not know what happened to my constituent, Mr. Miah, but we can have a good guess that he refused to pay a bribe, was beaten up, and died as a result of his injuries, leaving a widow and three children back in Blyth Valley.
I do not know how far the problem spreads, but I realise that it has spread to many countries. I do not know what the authorities in Dhaka, Pakistan or India are doing about the problem, but the British Government do not seem to be doing anything at all. I am not suggesting that the Government are affected by the colour of a man's skin, but if a white man going through Dhaka airport had lost his life, lo and behold, all hell would have been let loose in the Chamber. But unfortunately it was not a white man. It was a coloured gentleman who lived in my consituency.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office should take a strong hand in the matter. It seems to me that the practice goes right to the top, even to the chief of police at the airport. It seems to me that the authorities in those countries are allowing the harassment of people going back home, resulting in injury and in this case even death.
I understand that a murder case is being investigated in Dhaka. I hope that the investigation is not a cover-up, but that it is done properly. In many cases, airport officials seems to have more power than the government of the country. The Foreign Minister, and even the new Prime Minister of Bangladesh, seem to be burying their heads in the sand. Airport officials harass as many people as they can so that they can extort money from them. I hope that the Minister has something to tell us this evening about these people going abroad.
Not all is well. The British Foreign Office just sits on its backside and does nothing at all. I have written to the Foreign Office about the matter, and raised it on the Floor of the House. I have received one letter since the death of this unfortunate person. The Foreign Office is burying its
head in the sand, as if it was someone else's problem. It is not someone else's problem, but the problem of our Government. It is the problem of the Foreign Office, which should sort it out with the people in Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. The harassment goes on throughout the region. In this day and age, it should stop.
International flights operated by British Airways and other airlines go into Dhaka. Why is something not done by the airlines? Why is British Airways not kicking up a fuss when it brings people to Dhaka airport knowing full well that, once they leave the aeroplane, they will be harassed by officials? Why do the airlines not ask the Foreign Office to do something?
Are the airlines burying their heads in the sand? After all, they are receiving money to carry passengers to these countries. Surely the airport authorities in Britain, along with companies such as British Airways, should at least put pressure on someone in the Foreign Office. The Foreign Office seems to be shaking its head at every turn when these questions are raised.
We want justice for Mr. Miah. He has left a widow and three children. If we do not get justice, we will be seen to be failing in our job in the House. It is wrong that this should happen. The utmost pressure should be applied by the Foreign Office. I see the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office in his place. I am not sure whether he is the right one for the job. It should have been another Minister, but never mind, I will wait and hear what he has to say.
That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Argentina) Order 1996 be made in the form of the draft laid before this House on 12th June.
Question agreed to.
That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Mongolia) Order 1996 be made in the form of the draft laid before this House on 12th June.
That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Venezuela) Order 1996 be made in the form of the draft laid before this House on 12th June.--[Mr. Bates.]
11.51 pm
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