NHRC suo moto takes up 6 migrant workers case

Bhubaneswar: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday took suo motu cognisance of the plight of 6 migrant workers from Odisha who were stranded in Thailand after allegedly being cheated by a plywood firm and sought a report from the ministry of external affairs on the assistance extended to the victims and their families.

Four of the 6 have since returned to Odisha.The 6 men, 5 from Kendrapada and 1 from Bhadrak district, were allegedly held captive by their employer for the past 6 months in the Chon Buri area near Bangkok. The matter came to light on Feb 17 after the victims recorded a video describing their situation. They alleged that they were subjected to physical and mental torture inside a factory.The commission said the incident raised a serious issue of human rights violations and sought the ministry of external affairs’ comments on the assistance provided to the victims and whether support could be extended to their families.

The response was sought within a week.Official sources said the workers travelled to Thailand in Aug last year through a labour contractor who promised them well-paid jobs. Instead, they were allegedly forced to work 12 hours a day in a plywood factory without salary, proper food, or basic facilities. The workers also alleged their employer confiscated their passports. They appealed to the Odisha govt and the Centre to facilitate their return.

Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi intervened to help the youths, aged between 28 and 40 years.Four of the 6, Jayanta Kumar Mallick, Hemanta Kumar Behera and Bijay Kumar Swain of Kendrapada district, and Manaranjan Sahu of Bhadrak district, reached home on Saturday. The remaining 2, Prasant Rout and Yeswant Sahoo, both from Kendrapada district, are awaiting repatriation.The youths said they travelled on tourist visas. The factory owner, they alleged, is an Indian from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. “Though the owner promised to provide a working visa after 2 months, it did not happen. We went there with the help of his 2 agents,” Jayanta said.