The plight of those Bangladeshi illegals

Dear Editor,
I thank KN for bringing to the fore the plight of the Bangladeshis who have been languishing in the lock ups more than 10 months.  This incident has reminded me of some Nepalis who suffered a similar fate some years ago in Georgetown.
It seems as if there is always a knee jerk reaction when confronting illegal aliens who have traversed our land. This is so ironic considering the huge amount of Guyanese who have gone the ‘illegal’ route to accomplish their goals, whether be it in New York, Boa Vista or Port-of-Spain.
We should not take the easy way out and just simply throw every person in jail just because they don’t have the right papers  (as in the case of these Bangladeshis who were refused entry in Barbados, and returned to Guyana).  If the illegal Indian or Nigerian or any other has been involved in criminal activities, then that’s a different ball game.
I remember a policeman (whom I met at the Indian High Commission) telling me in 2003 that there was an illegal Indian (national) in jail who was experiencing worse than hell, as he was not used to the food, culture and language of Guyanese, and consequently, was literally gasping for breath, trying to survive from day to day.
I am pleased to know that some Muslim organizations have rendered some assistance to the Bangladeshis. We need to have a firm, yet humane modus operandi in dealing with our fellow human beings.
Devanand Bhagwan