Chandan Kumar Mandal

The Embassy of Nepal in Kuala Lumpur said on Friday that its attention has been drawn to a video circulating on social media, in which a man, who is said to be a Nepali, being beaten up by an unidentified man.

“A preliminary complaint has been lodged with the Malaysian police at the initiative of the embassy,” said the Nepal embassy in Kuala Lumpur via Facebook.

A baton-wielding man in the 44-second long video is seen pouncing on the defenceless man. The victim in a security guard uniform is charged with the baton and slaps multiple times and abused in a foreign language.

Nepalis were quick to take it to Twitter to express dismay and concern over Nepali migrant workers’ treatment in foreign lands. The Post could not independently verify the video.

“If only there were jobs in the country, Nepali would not have to go overseas to be beaten like this,” said Elindra Rai on Twitter. “Who will not cry after watching this?” The video, however, looks recorded earlier this month as the date on the video shows July 7.

Malaysia hosts half a million Nepali workers. Although Nepali workers have been working in various sectors in Malaysia, security guard jobs are almost reserved for Nepalis. The Nepal Embassy in Kuala Lumpur has said the person seen being assaulted is a Nepali security guard.

“This disturbing video (July 2020) viral in Nepal, showing a security guard abused by a Malaysian. I found when in Malaysia, Nepali security guards are pervasive holding temperature checks or guarding five-star hotels, office buildings, embassies, malls, apartments [sic],” tweeted Andy Hall, a migrant workers rights specialist.

“Working seven days a week for long hours, often debt bondage from exorbitant recruitment-related fees/costs, cheated by Malaysian/Nepali recruitment agencies and brokers, living in squalid accommodation it is often truly barely a human existence,” Hall, who is currently based in Kathmandu, continued.

Nepali workers in labour destination countries in the Gulf region and Malaysia are subjected to various forms of exploitations at the hands of their employers and high-level staffers among others. At times, these migrant workers reach out to Nepali missions but they are also turned down by Nepali embassies, as was witnessed last month in the United Arab of Emirates.

Published on: 31 July 2020 | The Kathmandu Post