More than 300 Bangladeshis have left Bahrain following a string of attacks on Asians by protesters last month, said a senior official.

However, the number of out passes being issued has now dropped, with some simply renewing theirs in case of an emergency, according to the Bangladesh Embassy.

There are around 100,000 Bangladeshis living in Bahrain.

Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy reported a slight increase in the number of requests for out passes, while the Pakistan Embassy said only 10 had opted to leave during the unrest.

The Philippines Embassy and Sri Lankan consul said their community members were not harmed during the unrest and had not registered specific cases of people leaving because of the situation.

Bangladeshis and Pakistanis were nationalities mainly targeted by protesters and at least four Asians died as a result of attacks by armed gangs.

Bangladesh Embassy first secretary Muhammad Ibrahim said in the first week of violence many people came forward to apply for an out pass.

'We have issued out passes to low-income workers, who wished to leave Bahrain, especially during the unrest,' said Ibrahim.

'It is true that several Bangladeshis were attacked during last month and had applied to leave Bahrain. We had long queues but the number of people coming for an out pass has reduced now, following the re-establishment of stability and life getting back to normal.

'Some had their out passes issued in January but didn't go back, so they came to us to renew them so they can leave Bahrain in case of emergency. More than 300 have left already and some are still planning to go.'

Pakistan Embassy chargŽ d'affaires Aurangzeb said that only 10 Pakistanis had left Bahrain following the unrest.

'Although one Pakistani was killed and many were injured during these attacks, life is getting back to normal,' said Aurangzeb.

'Many have returned for work and are fearless now following a curfew imposed by the government and after Peninsula Shield forces were deployed. Some are having issues with their employers, but we have pledged to resolve them.

'Pakistanis who were injured during the violence are getting back to normal life and returning to their houses in Manama.We are encouraging them not to leave their jobs and livelihood in Bahrain and return to Pakistan,” he added.

An Indian Embassy spokesman said number of people applying for emergency exit certificates or out passes had slightly gone up.

'A slight increase in the number of people applying for out passes has been noticed,' said the spokesman. 'Maybe they applied for it as a precaution to leave Bahrain in case of some mishap. But we don't have exact figures of how many Indians had left last month due to the unrest.'

The Pakistan Club is now co-ordinating with a group of lawyers appointed to represent the 16 Pakistani victims.

One Pakistani died and at least 20 sustained multiple injuries as a result of attacks by organised mobs with swords, knives and other weapons - mainly on Shaikh Hamad Road and in Ras Ruman, Manama.

A Philippines Embassy spokeswoman confirmed their community members were not targeted during the unrest.

'The only people leaving Bahrain are the ones having problem with their employers,' said the official. 'We don't have any case where they had to leave because of the problem. Our people were safe during the protests.'

Between five and seven Indonesians left Bahrain during last month, officials confirmed. – TradeArabia News Service