KATHMANDU, AUG 18 – The government is preparing to request Malaysia to repatriate thousands of Nepali migrant workers who have been stranded in the Islamic kingdom.
The move could benefit at least 40,000 Nepali workers staying illegally in the country, many of whom have been languishing in detention centres for months.
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Recruitment agencies in Nepal said the Nepali government is equally responsible for the delay in repatriation as it has failed to provide financial assistance to buy air tickets and pay fine. They also accuse the embassy of failing to provide timely and discreet counseling to workers in need.
In case of penniless workers, the repatriation cost must be shouldered by the worker or employer and home country’s embassy, officials have said. Embassy officials said that many Nepali workers staying in the country illegally have fallen into the clutches of fraudsters and unscrupulous agents who charge them hefty sums–nearly 3,000 ringgits in some cases–in order to get a safe passage home.