Dhaka : Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on January 13 urged Malaysia to issue multiple-entry visas for Bangladeshi workers employed in the country, enabling them to travel home and return as needed.

The Chief Adviser raised the issue during a courtesy call with Mohd Shuhada Othman, Malaysian High Commi-ssioner to Bangladesh, at the State Guest House Jamuna.

The Chief Adviser also urged the High Commissioner to facilitate the entry of 18,000 Bangladeshi workers who missed the deadline to join their work in the Southeast Asian country in May 2024.

The High Commissioner said, a joint technical committee featuring the officials of Malaysia and Bangladesh held a meeting in this regard in Kuala Lumpur on December 31, and a similar meeting was held on January 14.

Recalling his meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Dhaka in October 2024, the Chief Adviser hoped that Malaysia would expedite the process so that the next batch of Bangladeshi workers can plan for migrating to the country for work.

The Chief Adviser congratulated Malaysia for taking over as the chair of ASEAN from January 1, 2025 and also sought the country's support for Bangladesh's bid to become a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of ASEAN and in turn become a full member.

He also conveyed to the High Commissioner that Bangladesh seeks support from ASEAN in the upcoming International Conference on the Rohingya Crisis to be convened by the UN in 2025 in line with the UNGA Resolution 79/182.

The chief adviser urged the new Malaysian High Commissioner, who was appointed in December 2024, to work on bringing more Malaysian investment to Bangladesh and relocating Malaysian factories to Bangladesh to take the benefit of Bangladesh's youth forces.