Fourteen Nepali migrant workers in Malaysia, who were reportedly stranded for the past six months after their company suddenly closed down, have returned to Nepal on Sunday.  

These migrant workers said they landed in Malaysia three years ago through a Kathmandu-based manpower agency to work at a company named Asiapin Sdn Bhd. Although they were given a three-year contract by the company, the Nepali migrant workers said they were left in the lurch after it suddenly closed down six months ago.  

The Nepali workers also accused the company of not issuing them visas and refusing to pay a month's salary.

"Our visas got expired eight months ago," said one migrant worker.

According to Nepali workers, their company had initially arranged for them to work at another company that built motors for nine months after failing to issue them working visas. However, they were recalled by the company later, they added.

The Nepali migrant workers — Santosh Kumar Pandit, Bindu Kapar, Shambhu Mahara, Rampratap Raya Yadav, Shukhamochan Mandal, Mohammad Mustak, Ramsagar Mahato, Ajit Kumar Mandal, Umesh Mukhiya, Mahesh Kumar Yadav, Shital Kumar Mandal, Shiva Shankar Mandal, Rambilash Kamat and Ramishwor Yadav — said they briefly worked in another company as plastic collectors after the closure of their company.

"We just managed to survive on meager income from our work," said Ramishwor of Dhanusa.

Prem Pandey, general secretary of the Progressive Workers Forum, a Nepali association working for the welfare of Nepali migrant workers in the Southeast Asian nation, said that they helped the victims reach Tanaganita, a Malaysian human rights organisation for help after they came into contact with him with their problem.

He added that the victims filed a case against their company for not issuing visas to them and failing to pay them their one month salary with the help of the Malaysian human rights organisation and the Nepali embassy in Malaysia. Concurently, the victims also filed a lawsuit against the company at the Malaysia Labour Department, the Nepal embassy, Malaysian Immigration Department and the Malaysian Trade Union Congress.

Investigation into the case in ongoing, Pandey said quoting officials of the Malaysian human rights organisation.