Security questioned
The attack on migrant workers in Malaysia is still shrouded in mystery
It is worrying that what happened in Johor Bahru in Malaysia on Sunday evening is still shrouded in mystery. That night an altercation between Nepali migrant workers, where Malaysian youth were also involved, left at least two Nepalis critically injured. According to a witness, Malaysian youths numbering between 150 and 200 attacked Nepalis living in a hostel with iron rods, knives and other lethal weapons over a dispute with a local youth. On Monday, the Malaysian police arrested nine Nepalis, two Malaysians and a Burmese national in connection with the incident. There were also widespread reports which claimed that some Nepalis had been killed, which the Nepali Embassy in Kuala Lumpur was quick to refute in a press statement. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kathmandu even summoned the Malaysian Charge d’Affaires and requested that the Malaysian government ensure the security of Nepali workers. Beyond that, the government has been silent and this silence is good for nobody—neither the migrants and their families nor the Nepali and Malaysian governments. As harrowing as the event must have been, it is most frightening that there is a lack of credible information on what exactly happened and why.
The news has not been investigated into by the local Malaysian media. It must be noted that the press in Malaysia, according to latest reports from Freedom House, a Washington, DC-based think tank that tracks authoritarian moves by governments, is “not free” and the country itself is only “partly free” when it comes to democratic norms. Civil society in Malaysia, it appears, is silent on the issue. Also missing has been the voices of international organisations, such as the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Given the gravity of the situation, which has resulted in Nepali migrants in Malaysia living in a state of terror, we urge the press and civil society in Malaysia, as well as international organisations, to carefully examine the matter.
The greatest responsibility, however, lies on the shoulders of the governments. Having dispatched millions of youth to this faraway island, Nepal’s government must do all it can do to ensure the safety of the migrant workers. The same applies to the labour receiving country. The matter goes beyond ensuring basic minimum wages for the workers. The migrants, who are vulnerable to their employers’ as well as the attitudes of locals, should be able to work in an atmosphere free of fear. The fate of the workers has also sent shockwaves to villages in Nepal that have sent their youth to work in Malaysia, and family members of six of the workers arrested have sought assurances of security from the employment agency, Deep Gateway Overseas, that sent many youths there. A company, of course, cannot take up the issue with the Malaysian government. For this, Nepal’s government has to find out exactly what transpired and ensure the safety of Nepalis working in Malaysia.
Published on: 29 March 2013 | The Kathmandu Post
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