Some of the Nepali workers, who were arrested for involvement in rioting and arson at an electronics factory yesterday, are likely to be released tomorrow if officials at the Embassy of Nepal in Malaysia are to be believed. They said other Nepali workers involved in the protest were preparing to return to work tomorrow.

However, Malaysian media quoted Deputy Police Chief Mohad Idris Samsuri as saying that 47 Nepali workers and two Bangladeshis were charged with rioting and remanded to custody for two weeks. 

Malaysian police arrested Nepali workers yesterday after a mob led by Nepali migrants set ablaze and destroyed the factory where they worked. The factory is owned by JCY International. “Hopefully, police will start releasing them one by one from Friday without prosecution,” said Hem Lal Bhattarai, deputy chief of mission at the embassy, who met Nepali workers and talked with the Malaysian police.

Bhattarai said since the company had already asked workers to resume work from tomorrow, assuring them that it had taken their concerns seriously, majority of Nepali workers will return to work. 

JCY, located in the southern industrial hub of Johor state, employs 15,000 workers, of which more than 7,000 are from Nepal. Nepali workers employed in the company had launched a protest on August 22, along with migrant workers from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam and Indonesia, alleging that the management had misbehaved with them and had put forth demands related to facilities to workers.

“We would have solved the problem by holding talks with the company had the workers notified the embassy about their concerns on time,” said Bhattarai. The protest took a violent turn when the agitating workers set the factory on fire. Following the arrest, there were no protests today. The protesting workers have accused the company of negligence after a Nepali worker, who had complained to chest pain, died last week. 

Charge against them

The arrested Nepali workers have been charged with rioting under Section 148 of Malaysian Penal Code. The section states that any person who attends, takes part in or is found at any riot and who has in his possession at such riot any firearm, ammunition, explosive, corrosive, injurious or obnoxious substance, stick, stone or any weapon or missile capable of use as a weapon of offence shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine, or with both.

Published on: 29 August 2014 | The Himalayan Times