Kathmandu, March 4:

Relatives of Sagar Thapa, from Butwal-13 of Rupandehi, today registered a request letter at the Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB) to bring back his dead body from Saudi Arabia where he had gone to work two-and-a-half years ago. Thapa died last week. He was working at a Salalaha Aboard, a construction company located in Mahasan area of Saudi Arabia, after his recruitment through Genial Manpower Pvt Ltd.

This is not the only application that FEPB has received of late. The board received 27 such applications and helped 10 of the applicants to bring back their dead relatives’ bodies to Nepal. It started this service last February.

“We managed to bring back 10 dead bodies in a year,” said Mukunda Adhikari, under secretary of the board. He clarified FEPB has the mandate to help relatives of only those who paid welfare fee at the time of departure. Further, the board supported three applicants in taking the dead bodies of their relatives back to their villages. “We provided further support because they were poor,” he said.

According to Adhikari, the board has also supported 10 foreign-employed Nepalis who suffered from accidents like loss of legs or hands. The board usually provides Rs 1,00,000 in case of accidents where the worker is denied compensation by the foreign employer.

The board has also been deputed to help distribute compensation to Nepalis returning due to global economic recession in destination countries.

Till date, 67 returnees have got compensation from the board. Of them, 64 received 25 per cent of the amount they had paid to the manpower agencies — like service charge, visa fee and travel fare. Only three got 40 per cent of the expenses as they returned within six months of their departure.

“Sixty-six of them returned from Malaysia,” said Adhikari. Malaysia is the most preferred destination for Nepali migrant workers. At present, around 3,00,000 Nepalis are believed to be working there. One returnee from Qatar was compensated up to 40 per cent of his

expenses.

Meanwhile, FEPB has cautioned manpower agencies not to send any more migrant workers to Malaysia. It has also clarified that it will not compensate those bound for Malaysia after January and who return subsequently in the event of getting laid off.

The global financial crisis has forced Nepalis in the major work destination countries — like Malaysia and Gulf nations — more vulnerable as they are employed in construction sector that is feeling the sqeeze of the meltdown.

Point-Japan

KATHMANDU: Ministry of Labour and Transport Management (MoLTM) started selection of manpower agencies that will send Nepali youth to Japan. The ministry will select 50 agencies on the basis of eight points criterion they have set. A total of 154 agencies have applied to send the Nepalis to Japan. MoLTM needs clarifications from Inland Revenue Offices and Foreign Employment Promotion Department on their revenue status, punishment and complaints history. — HNS