Economically ravaged, its land besieged by cyclonic floods, Bangladesh does not offer much security to the people who have made it their home. Life is fraught with uncertainty in this country of 130 million people confined to 147,570 sq km, which gives it a population density of around 881 people per sq km (Malaysias is 67 people per sq km).

To the Bangladeshis, tropical, typhoon-free Malaysia with its booming economy seemed like paradise. And it was so close to home, too, only three hours of flight away  though, mind you, most Bangladeshi came into the country via land braving the Burmese junta and Thai jungles.

So, when Bangladeshis first heard of work opportunities in Malaysia in the mid-1980s, they jumped at the chance.

Malaysiakini spoke to a few Bangladeshis (whose names have been changed here to protect their identities) who revealed how their lives had turned out after working in the country, some for more than a decade.

Ganesh, 40, used to run a laundry business in Bangladesh. When the business went bankrupt, he decided to seek his fortune in Malaysia. He worked in an oil palm plantation when he first arrived. After two months, he took off because he didnt get paid.

Next, he became a grass-cuttter. Again there were problems with getting paid. He left, ending up in construction work.

Kahleed, 36, came through the back door and worked in palm-oil plantations as well. He paid a recruitment agent to sneak him into the country via Thailand, without a visa or permit. This was in the early 1990s. He was caught and held in detention for four months. The agent, he said, had run away.

Robbed at knifepoint

Ikram, 29, came into the country at the end of his teenage years. He came on a one-month tourist visa via Thailand with a group of Thais and Burmese who were also looking for work. He has been here for 10 years now.

At first Ikram worked for RM9 for seven hours a day in an oil palm plantation. He spent the rest of the time fishing. His work permit has expired now but he continues to work. They say the government will not renew permits after this year, said the frail-looking Ikram.

Ikrams family business in Bangladesh went bust. We bought and sold brown sugar. We would buy and store the sugar when the price was low and then sell it when the price was high.

Several weeks ago while he was walking home in the late evening, Ikram lost RM700 to a bunch of rowdy local youths who had pointed a knife to him and demanded for his money. He was going to go home for a holiday and had intended to go shopping first.

Mohamad, 40, was extorted by a local, too. Sitting under a tree to have lunch one day, Mohamad was approached for money by a burly middle-aged man on a motorcycle. The man was tall and big and I was afraid of him, recounted Mohamad in halting Malay.

He told the man not to disturb him as he was only trying to make a living, then hurried into a nearby shop to make his escape. They constantly accost us for money, said Mohamad.

At other times, people would snatch their wallets when their backs are turned while working at construction sites.

Ganesh said sometimes people claiming to be policemen (theyd be in plainclothes) would ask to see their passports. But the four of them are more aware of bogus ones now as real policemen would show their identification cards.

No help even when beaten up

We keep to ourselves as it has become dangerous to go out alone, said Khaleed. The men explained that things have changed for the worse in the last few years.

Now, even when people see us being bullied and beaten, nobody comes to help, chimed Mohamad.

The timid Bangladeshis are easy prey. They are neither outspoken nor aggressive. We do not kacau (disturb) other people, said Ganesh. But when one Bangladeshi is bad, then 1,000 of us are branded bad, too, he said.

On one occasion, having had enough, the Bangladeshis took the law into their own hands. A middle-aged man had been constantly badgering them for money. We couldnt take it one day and decided to bash him up thoroughly. Sudah cukup-cukup kasi hantam sama dia , said Mohamad.

Assaulted on a public bus

Some time ago, harassing Bangladeshis in public became a common occurrence.

Malaysiakini spoke to a lady commuter who had witnessed an incident where local youths preyed on Bangladeshis. It took place in a Metrobus travelling along the Puchong road.

The assailants  half a dozen youths  had came on board at km 11. The bus was crowded. It was rush hour at 5.35pm. Undaunted by the congested bus, the youths whisked out knives and demanded money from unsuspecting Bangladeshi men. Frozen with fear, the Bangladeshis submitted to being slapped around on the face and hit on the back of the head.

The bus conductor who tried to intervene had a knife pointed at him. The assailants said, Back off, we have no quarrel with you. The Indonesian bus driver was told to keep driving.

The locals on board the bus were unharmed. Some simply hung their heads, too afraid to look at the assailants.

This group apparently victimises only Bangladeshis. They knew their victims habits well as they made the migrant workers remove their shoes when they couldnt find money in the wallet. They knew where money could be hidden.

The thugs then disembarked at the next stop and sauntered away as if nothing happened. Like it was all in a days work.

The eyewitness who declined to be named, said for the first time she felt embarrassed to call herself Malaysian. As she alighted the bus, a well-dressed but disgusted Bangladeshi man spat out, Is this what your country is about?

Malaysians lousy paymasters

The Bangladeshis did not have many good things to say about Malaysian bosses. They said they would sometimes not be paid for work done. Why? Because the employers feared no reprisal. The authorities were in their pockets, they claimed.

Rightly or wrongly, the four Bangladeshis summed up Malaysians according to racial stereotypes ( some of which have been removed  Editor ), but they speak from experience.

If Malays or Indians (Malaysians) offer us jobs, even if the daily wages are higher, we wouldnt take it, said Hasan, a Bangladeshi migrant worker. And he spoke on behalf of three of his friends, all of whom are construction workers.

If we take the job, they wont pay us as promised, said Khaleed.

We prefer to work with the Chinese (Malaysians). We do the work, and they pay [us], said Ikram who has been here since the late 1980s, enough time for him to size up Malaysian idiosyncracies. His friends concurred that Chinese bosses were better paymasters.

Life in Bangladesh

Bangladeshis are normally rather shy and timid when alone. And they are popularly seen at cinemas showing Hindi movies. Some have fairer skin than the average Indian Malaysian, the rest are markedly darker. To the trained eye they are different from their brethren Pakistanis.

The two nationalities  Bangladeshi and Pakistani  apparently do not get along even when outside their country. The fairer-skinned Pakistanis are stuck-up, said Hasan.

They think they are better-looking, interjected Ikram, who was slapped on the thigh by his friend Hasan for his remark, drawing laughter from the rest.

Although the two nationalities share Islam as their dominant guiding faith, they are two distinct races. The Bangladeshis are predominantly Muslim.

Bangladesh practises a stricter form of Islam compared with Malaysia. Muslim women in the country wear the burkha a full-length gown which literally covers them from head to toe.

But in school, Bangladeshi women are given preference over boys. Ikram explained that because of the educational disparity between men and women, the government provides free education for girls until they complete secondary education.

What do Bangladeshi women do in a society where they are undercover? They are teachers, doctors or work in an office.

The lift up their veils when they have to do work, explained Ikram, seemingly to show that women were certainly not oppressed in Bangladesh.

What if they did not want to wear the burkha ? They will not remove their burkha . Otherwise, theyd be ashamed, said Ikram.

Despite the dress code imposition on women, the country has women politicians at the helm.

Bangladeshs current prime minister is Begum Khalida Zia. Prior to this the country had another woman prime minister, Sheik Hasina Wajed.

Not being particularly politically astute (or maybe they are) the four offered a criticism of one of the woman prime minister for being  burkha -less. The newspaper apparently had said that Sheik Hasina obviously thought herself quite young, not covering herself as do other Bangladeshi women.

Politics at home aside, these five seemed to have adapted themselves rather well to life in Malaysia. However, they displayed no reluctance to go home when the time comes, be it of their own volition or the many Ops Nyah (literally, Get Rid Operation) raids carried out by the local enforcement agencies.

Note: Names of workplaces have been held back. The stories and opinions contained here may not represent those of other Bangladeshis working or living in Malaysia.

Part III

will be published tomorrow.