A ban on work permits for Bangladeshis will not affect anyone already in Bahrain, the Interior Ministry has announced.

It will only be enforced on Bangladeshi labourers who have applied for a work visa after May 27, assistant under-secretary for Entry Points, Research and Follow-up Yousif Al Ghatam said on Sunday.

He said Bangladeshi residents and their families already here would be exempt from the ban, as well as those changing companies inside Bahrain.

Al Ghatam said the rule would not apply to businessmen travelling to Bahrain on visit visas and professional, qualified workers applying for work.

The announcement represents a toning down of the ban, which the Interior Ministry last week said would apply across the board.

The ban was imposed after a group of MPs called for action following the death of Bahraini Mohammed Jassim Dossary, 38, who was allegedly murdered by a Bangladeshi mechanic during an argument last month.-TradeArabia News Service