What the US says about visa restrictions, Dr Yunus issue

There have been no changes to the US visa policy regarding restrictions on Bangladeshis, The US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel has said.

He made the remarks at a department briefing on Monday when a journalist enquired about the status of implementing visa restrictions under the 3C visa policy for those who were undermining elections in Bangladesh.

Patel said, " don’t have any updates or changes to offer when it comes to policy.  My understanding is that these policies don’t sunset just because the election is over, but I don’t have any updates to offer... There is no change in policy."

The spokesperson was also asked how the State Department viewed Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus's treatment. To this, he said, "Look, we share concerns voiced by other international observers that these cases may represent a misuse of Bangladesh’s labour laws to – as a way to intimidate Doctor Yunus. 

"And our hope is that we would encourage the Bangladeshi Government to ensure a fair and transparent legal process for Doctor Yunus as the appeals process continues."

/KN/