Dinesh Regmi

AN appellate court in Qatar has ruled in favour of the compensation demand made by the families of eight of 12 Nepali migrant workers, killed in a boat capsize two years ago.

Officials at the Doha-based Nepali Embassy for Qatar said the rulings on the cases were made on different dates and the next hearing has been set for three months later to decide the size of the compensation the victims’ families will be awarded. According to the embassy, the appellate court has issued its ruling in the cases of Sheshnath Yadav, Mansingh Khatri, Jai Bahadur Pun Magar, Abbas Ahmed Sai, Mehedi Hussein Miya, Ghanashyam Sarki, Lilaram Poudel and Shankar Bista. “We’ve learned that the hearing in the cases of the remaining four victims will take place in October,” said Suryanath Mishra, Nepali ambassador to Qatar. Defendant HBK Power Cleaning, the employing firm of the victims, had moved the appellate court after the embassy won the case on behalf of the victims from a Qatari primary court on Jan 26, 2011. “We have twice won the case. So, there is very little chance of HBK dragging the case to the Supreme Court,” Mishra said.

Qatari law states that in case of a worker’s death during work, the employer should provide 200,000 Riyal (nearly Rs 4 million) as blood money to the family of the deceased worker. On June 30, 2009, a commercial ship hired by HBK sank off the coast of Qatar, killing 30, including 12 Nepalis, on board. HBK officials had maintained its workers were insured and that it was the responsibility of the insurance company to provide compensation to the victims. The insurance company, on the other hand, denied HBK’s claim, arguing that the firm hired an old vessel and the accident occurred due to the negligence of the ship’s captain.

Published on: 6 July 2011 | The Kathmandu Post