Eight Nepali laborers rescued

Eight Nepali laborers rescued

BY MURAHARI PARAJULI

KATHMANDU, Jan 13 - The government has rescued eight Nepali laborers who were languishing in a Malaysian prison for a year. It was the first such attempt involving Nepali laborers abroad.

“We will hand them over to their family, after conducting necessary investigations to find out the guilty in the case,” said Keshar Bahadur Baniya, director general of Department of the Employment and Promotions, on whose effort the laborers were rescued. “They have just arrived in Kathmandu today.”

The victims said they were taken into custody on charges of working in different places from those assigned to them. Mount Everest Manpower Company, Bijulibazaar had sent them to Malaysia for employment purpose.

Govinda Thapa, one of the victims, said the Malaysian police also jailed Indra Bahadur Thapa, the manpower's promoter for a month and was released later. Govinda Thapa said he had paid Rs 135,000 to the company to work in a Malaysian ship. The victims further said that some of them were sent using fake passports. More pathetic is the fact that they were sent without signing the contract paper that must include the nature of work, the workplace and salary, they said. “We did not know that we should sign the contract before going abroad.”

“While sending me to Malaysia, I was told that I would be there for two years. However, the visa was valid only for a year,” said Bijaya Kumar Gurung, another victim who hailed from Lamjung.

They also shared a very pathetic experience of the jail. “The Malaysian police severely tortured us in custody. They threatened and beat us arbitrarily. We were not allowed to talk to each other,” said Gurung. He said they were kept together with notorious criminals in prison.

A source said the police in Nepal have arrested Ramesh Gurung, one of the promoters of Mount Everest Manpower for investigation.