At the initiative of the government and various companies, some 270 Nepali migrants languishing in the Malaysian prison and detention centres have been rescued and returned home. According to the Nepali Embassy, while 135 Nepalis were deported to Nepal with financial assistance from local companies, the remaining returned home at the initiative of the Nepali government. While most of the rescued are male, a few of them are also women.

The Embassy said that some 135 Nepalis languishing in Malaysian prison and detention centres due to the lack of funds to procure their tickets home were returned utilising Rs 2 million provided by Foreign Employment Promotion Board. “There are still more than 450 Nepali migrant workers languishing in Malaysian detention centres after being deprived of funds to procure their return tickets,” said Dr Niranjan Man Singh Basnyat, Nepal’s Ambassador to Malaysia. Apart from them, 329 Nepali migrants have been serving time in Malaysian prison s for various crimes, including robbery, murder and narcotic trade, which is considered a grave offense as per the Malaysian law.

According to the Embassy, they had prioritized the return of women, those in need of medical assistance and economically deprived. Stating that International Money Express (IME), one of the oldest remittance companies in Nepal, had provided funds to procure return tickets for 50 Nepali migrants in the camps, Basnyat said that they would utilise the fund as soon as possible.   

Published on: 15 October 2014 | The Kathmandu Post