There has been a significant drop, according to recent reports, in illegal migration to the US (and Europe, too) following a tightening up in their internal security arrangements.

However, an equally worrying parallel phenomenon — the recruiting of jobless youth and aspirants from India, Myanmar , Bangladesh and Pakistan, by shady international agencies for 'various 'assignments' in different conflict zones — has not stopped. However, prospects of a cease fire in Ukraine now appear bright, while an uneasy truce is being hammered out in the Middle East. The bulk requirement of unemployed youths from less developed countries has weakened for the moment, in different war zones.

It is common knowledge that most warring countries use militant jobless youths as wartime cannon fodder to protect their own army units from suffering serious physical damage as far as possible. Authorities in Russia and Ukraine are known to have used untrained Asian jobless youths as 'young mercenaries' during the Ukraine war. Officially authorities in Moscow and Kyiv have strongly denied any knowledge of and involvement in such practices.

What exposes their indirect complicity in such sensitive matters is the impressive amount of testimony and recorded accounts of their experiences collected by HR activists from the lucky survivors of such missions — whether they went from India, Nepal, Bangladesh or Myanmar! Many have been reported missing.

Governments of India and Nepal took up the matter with Russia. They sought details of the location and number of such recruits who have been known to have joined such shadowy 'units’.

The standard official response from Russia has been brief and firm: Russian armies by policy did not involve other armies, or private volunteers, in official operations. If India or Nepal could furnish more specific details about their citizens who are suspected to have become involved in the Ukraine conflict, the matter could be further investigated.

How is this phenomenon linked with illegal immigration to the West or the Middle East? By way of an answer, people familiar with such matters offer the following explanation:

In South Asia, there are large numbers of educated or barely educated youths who cannot always find jobs at home. For years they have migrated illegally or otherwise to other countries in Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada or other parts of Asia. Until recently, Chinese job seekers topped the list of overseas workers, some of whom settled abroad, followed by Indians, Pakistanis and Sri Lankans.

Bangladesh followed the example of other countries in South Asia, but despite beginning from the 1970s, the number of Bangladeshis working and settled abroad at present has exceeded 10 millions!

Now that the US and Europe have tightened the screws against illegal immigrants, no doubt the jobless generations in South Asia would need to acquire more special skills at home or secure more funds to ensure admission to various schools or universities abroad. Mostly young South Asians used to do menial, low paying jobs to survive, but during the last decade, well educated Indians, like the Chinese, have found a comfortable room at the top. As for the Chinese, they have done better.

According to one report, over 200,000 Chinese travelled to different parts of the world last year. According officials, only 3 persons did not return, deciding to work abroad. This would have been unthinkable two decades ago, said one official during a TV panel discussion.

"Now the option of doing menial jobs may be closing, but there would always be openings for risk taker Asian youths to work as mercenaries as has happened in Ukraine or the Mideast. There, Rohingya Muslim youths from Myanmar, or Bangladeshis, Indian Muslim youths and Pakistanis, have received arms training and explosive handling as they joined militant organisations run by men like the late Osama Bin Laden, or the ISI” says a former Brigadier of the Indian army.

It needs stressing that Moscow-based authorities have in fact claimed that many young people had approached them to join Russia’s 'special operations' against Ukraine!

Whatever the future may hold for South Asia's illegal migrants or job seekers, their present prospects appear grim. Without any publicity and to avoid unnecessary controversy, UK authorities have expelled an estimated 12,000 illegal migrants from Bangladesh. The US has already ensured return of 4000/5000 people from India and Bangladesh.

It is not as though illegal migrants are welcome in other parts of Asia, unlike the West. Hundreds of illegal Burmese squatters have been thrown out by authorities in Cambodia a few days ago. Bangladesh has faced repatriation problems or its citizens for years whether in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia or Malaysia in recent times. In most places, authorities have found it necessary to push out illegal migrants, even as they discussed the issue with Bangladesh authorities. Dhaka-based authorities have lost no time in discussing and settling employment and migration-related problems following high level consultants.

As for the would-be mercenaries, their experience abroad has proved humbling. Whether in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal or North Indian states, the spirited young men (mostly!) have paid lakhs of rupees to local agents, who had made them sign some papers before escorting them in batches to help them join new assignments. Initially they were taken to Russia where they signed some more documents which they could not read.

Their recruiters assured them that they could work in unskilled jobs like cleaning, being a general orderly on guard duty, as mechanics, plumbers or electricians.

But in Russia, they were taught to handle advanced rifles and to work as medical carriers of men and material! Their training hours were long and hard, with little rest allowed. If they protested they were hit brutally by rifle butts or physically assaulted.

Bangladeshi M. Rahman managed to escape somehow from the war zone using a brief respite from a very intense attack made by Ukrainian drones, although two or three of his compatriots could not run. Somehow he made his way to the Bangladesh embassy in Moscow, where he told his tale.

But for minor modification in details, this was a standard version of their experiences, whether the victim was a Bangladeshi or Nepali. Most ended up spending their hard earned dollars (roubles) in returning home.

There was no peace for them even at home. Their sponsors denied any responsibility, and refused to write off even a part of the 12,00,000 Taka fee Rahman had paid them, selling part of his own house! The local police and political leaders could not help very much, because, everyone agreed that the administration was hardly functional in Dhaka, Khulna or Mymensing — in general people had a poor opinion of Dr M. Yunus's role as the Chief Administrator to the caretaker regime in Bangladesh. (IPA Service)