No way home for hundreds of Nepali workers

 

The Nepal embassy said the documented workers had become ‘illegal’ because of the lockdown.

PETALING JAYA: Hundreds of Nepali workers are stranded because they are unable to get their “exit memo”, a document which foreign workers must obtain upon expiry of their work permits before they can go home.

Nepal embassy second secretary Pratik Karki said this is the result of immigration offices remaining closed because of national Covid-19 restrictions, something he says the Malaysian government should reconsider.

As a result of this situation, he said the workers had to remain indoors with no wages and resort to use whatever little savings they have to survive or be at the mercy of friends who are still employed.

“They are in a terrible situation as they are forced to stay indoors because of the many operations against undocumented foreign workers these days.

Nepal embassy secretary Pratik Karki.

“These are documented workers but they have become illegal because of the circumstances brought by the lockdown.

“The embassy is doing all it can but with more than 500 such victims, we have our limitations, too.

“We are pleading with the immigration authorities to have at least one counter open for the workers or employers to get their exit memos, which gives them a certain period to leave the country,” he told FMT, adding that they will be sending the appeal next week.

Pratik said many of these workers were also forced to continue working even though they wanted to go home, because it was the only way for them to survive, adding that renewal of work visas can still be done online.

He said there were also those who were needed back home because of family emergencies but are unable to return because they cannot obtain their exit memo.

“All these are adding so much strain to these workers who are so far away from their loved ones. And many are not living in conditions that are conducive. This adds more pressure on them.

“Have a heart because these people have worked so hard in this country,” he said.

On another matter, Pratik said about 40 Nepali workers had died of Covid-19 so far, with some employers paying for their cremation while the embassy helped out the others.

“Some bodies are still lying in mortuaries because we have problems in identifying them. These are mainly undocumented workers and it takes a bit of time to sort it out,” he said. - FMT