“Till I was in Libya, my prime concern was how to return to Nepal,” said Bipin Gharti, of Argal-5. [break]“The worry now is how to pay back the loan,” he added. Gharti reached Libya five months ago and was employed by STFA, a Turkish company, at Sabrahat town west of Tripoli.
He had spent around Rs 200,000 to find the placement. But he returned virtually empty-handed. Even his cell phone was robbed by thugs in Libya. “We were not paid salary for the past five months,” Gharti said. “The company gave each of us just 280 dollars before we left.”
There were 84 Nepali workers in the company that employed around 1200 workers from countries like Pakistan, Vietnam, Sudan, Egypt, Morocco and Turkey. All the 84 Nepali workers who have returned had not got their salary for the past five months.
A total of 26 Nepali workers reached their home in Baglung and Myagdi on Thursday. They had left for Libya not more than seven months ago. Gam Bahadur Pun of Amarbhumi, said, “Bad luck pursued me even in a foreign land. How will I pay back the loan I took?”
Another youth said though it is said the government of Nepal made an effort to rescue workers, they would not have made home without the employer´s assistance. “After we exerted pressure, the company made arrangements to send us home,” said Gham Bahadur Pun of Myagdi.
These youths returned to Nepal via Qatar. According to Tirtha Lal Gharti, locals in Libya broke into camps of Nepali workers and robbed eleven of them of their cell phones.
“Many hadn´t eaten for weeks,” he said. “Many were stranded at camps and at airport. Even those who had money couldn´t get air tickets. Only after reaching Nepal did we hear that the government has started a rescue effort,” he added.
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