SINGAPORE, May 31 — A Bangladeshi worker who was fired after being harassed by purported “loan sharks” left Singapore early today after an unsuccessful last-minute attempt to appeal for an extension of stay.The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and the Ministry of Manpower said in a joint statement close to midnight on Thursday that the authorities have reviewed the appeal but decided not to extend his current Special Pass to stay in Singapore beyond today.
In a Facebook post on Thursday morning, Mr Sharif said that he had written a letter to Mr Wong regarding his situation and had turned up at his Meet-the-People Session in Limbang. MoM and the Migrant Workers’ Centre had also linked him up with employment agencies to support his job search and provided him with an email on May 13 confirming his eligibility to work.
On whether he would try to return to Singapore for future job opportunities, he said he was still undecided. “I’m still in a lot of pain... I am being kicked out. It feels like a punishment for a crime I did not commit.” “Don’t stop writing,” one migrant worker friend said while embracing him, to which Mr Sharif nodded and began tearing up.
“The jobs he turned down required him to work for long hours in a cold room, doing work that, given his age and health conditions, would not have been suitable for him.” Ms Kokila hoped that if Mr Sharif attempted to return, he would not face any sanctions for having chosen to speak up about his situation and the plight of migrant workers in Singapore.