20 Jharkhand labourers held in Malaysia freed

THE 20 WERE PART OF A GROUP OF 45 SENT THERE TO WORK FOR A CHINESE FIRM; SOME SAID THEY HADN’T BEEN PAID FOR FIVE MONTHS

RANCHI: Twenty Jharkhand labourers detained in Malaysia for a fortnight on charges of overstaying have been released after an intervention by the Indian high commission, a senior state official said on Friday.

The workers from Hazaribagh area were freed on Thursday. Efforts are on to renew visas for their return to India after the payment of pending wages, according to a source from their work site in eastern Malaysia.

One of the stranded labourers said the men have not been paid wages for five months. “We want to return to our country at the earliest,” Umesh Mahto told HT over phone.

The men, who were kept in a camp on July 9 after expiry of their visa, form part of a 45-member team of labourers sent to work in Malaysia for a Chinese company last year. Hailing largely from Giridih and Hazaribag districts, they were transported by a Chennai-based contractor to lay transmission lines in Sarawak state on the island of Borneo.

The detention came to light after their fellow labourers, who were not arrested, posted the news on Facebook. Soon, their relatives began circulating over WhatsApp the images of the 20 men, seeking help.

The Hazaribag administration and the state home department swung into action. They contacted the Indian embassy in Malaysia, and sought the labourers’ release.

Hazaribag MP Jayant Sinha, who is the Union minister for civil aviation, intervened. “I contacted the High Commission and the Malaysian labour director. They assured sending back all workers,” he said.

The minister said the workers had gone abroad through an agent not registered under the external affairs ministry. “They are at a place 2,600 kilometers away from the Malaysian mainland. They would be sent to Delhi, from where they go to their villages,” he said.

Hazaribagh District Commissioner said “pro-active” action by the high commission helped track of the workers. “Initially, we had no clue where they were stuck,” he added.

Nagraj Ramraj, the site supervisor for the workers, said the process for renewing the labourers’ visa was completed. “A meeting on Monday will decide the way to send the workers back. It will also decide the payment of their due salaries,” he informed over phone.

The Chinese company has 68 workers Indian labourers working for it in Malaysia. Besides Jharkhandis, they were men from Tamil Nadu, Ramraj revealed.

Rewat Lal Mahto, a resident of Uchwaghana village in Hazaribag district, spoke of his two younger brothers who were released on Thursday. “Amrit and Ganeshlal went to Malaysia after the agent assured them of salary ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 a month.

“We are worried about their well-being and that of their coworkers. Hope the government will bring them back at the earliest,” he said.