The South Korean government has agreed to rescue 168 Nepali migrant workers stranded in Libya. These Nepali workers had initially gone to work for Samsung Company in South Korea and were later transferred to Libya. 

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the government of South Korea has given its nod to repatriate Nepali workers from Libya. “We held discussions with South Korean authorities after we found that many of those stranded had been transferred to Libya from South Korea. The South Korean government has expressed its willingness to repatriate them to Nepal and agreed to sponsor return tickets for all the 168 stranded Nepalis,” informed Khaga Nath Adhikari, spokesperson for MoFA. 

The Nepali Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, has informed that more than 200 Nepalis have contacted the embassy expressing their willingness to return home. MoFA has asked the Nepali embassy in Cairo to provide the details of Nepali workers in Libya. “As we are not sure about the number of Nepalis who need to be rescued, we have asked the embassy to provide the details as soon as possible,” added Adhikari. 

After the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MoLE) refused to release funds through the Foreign Employment Promotion Board saying the stranded workers in Libya are illegal as per the existing laws, MoFA has sought other alternatives to repatriate the stranded workers. The government has banned entry of Nepali workers to Libya since 2010 after 108 Nepali migrants were dismissed from work and later taken hostage by a private company. 

However, many Nepalis continue to travel to the North African national via illegal routes. The Nepali Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, estimates that there are around 500 Nepalis in Libya.

Published on: 9 August 2014 | Republica