Families of over 40 Nepali migrant workers, who died in Lebanon in the past five years, have been deprived of the insurance payments set aside for the deceased, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Under the Lebanese government regulations, the insurance company is required to bear a cost up to 12 million Lebanese Lira ($ 8000) for the repatriation of the body to the address of migrant’s home country irrespective of the cause of death.

Owners of insurance policy will be provided with the full amount of stated money after deducting the cost for transporting the body to proceed with undertaking relevant arrangement, the regulation states. Likewise, kin of those killed in a serious accident are entitled to $ 10,000 in compensation.

However, out of 45 Nepali migrant workers, who died in Labanon, families of 43 are yet to receive the insurance amounts, the Foreign Ministry said. Lack of efforts from the concerned authorities to enquire about the matter has only compounded the situation. Honorary Consul of Nepal in Beirut, however, said families of the deceased could not claim insurance amounts or compensation in case of suicide.

According to the Foreign Ministry, 27 Nepalis committed suicide while the rest were killed in various accidents. Most of the deceased Nepalis were women. A ministry official said that diplomatic missions like Egypt-based Nepali Embassy, which looks after affairs of Lebanon, and the honorary consul, are yet to draw the attention of the Lebanese government towards the issue.

Acting on complaints, ministry official Dhan Bahadur Oli had on March 2011 sought clarification from Consul Issa Ei-Khoury of the Hononary Consul in Beirut and his assistant Dipendra Upreti on the matter. He also enquired about the Lebanese government’s failure to inform the Nepali Embassy in Egypt about the deaths.

Around 8,000 Nepalis are working in Lebanon in defiance of the existing employment ban by Nepal government, Poudel said.

Published on: 7 June 2014 | The Kathmandu Post