As hordes of Nepali migrant workers -- who failed to obtain final approval letters from the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) even after getting visas to work in Bahrain and Oman due to the ban -- desperately prepare to leave for the two reopened labor destinations, manpower agencies are finding it difficult to arrange air tickets for their clients. [break]
Although the ban -- which was imposed by the Ministry of Labor and Transport Management in mid-February in the wake of the popular Arab uprisings -- was lifted a couple of days back, not many migrant workers have managed to take off so far. Narayan Parajuli, Director of Prudential Manpower Agency, who failed to send 175 clients to Bahrain even after obtaining visas for them, says, “Airlines do not have adequate seats.”
According to Parajuli, his clients, who were eagerly waiting for lifting of the ban, will start heading for Bahrain, turn by turn in different groups, only from next week.
“As every one wants to fly before others, arranging tickets has become a bit difficult,” he said. According to Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA), over 1,000 workers, who had acquired visas for Bahrain, had been prevented from leaving for their working destinations. Also, many more workers, who were in the process of getting visas, had been affected by the ban.
The ban was part of the government´s precautionary plan to protect Gulf countries-bound Nepali workers in the face of the Arab uprising that flared up, almost across the Middle East, with the success of Tunisian revolution. However, the ban had met heavy criticism from manpower agencies as it stayed on too long even after the uprising fizzled out in some Gulf countries.
The Ministry of Labor and Transport Management (MoLTM) lifted the ban only after getting a letter from the Saudi Arabia-based Nepali embassy, which declared that it was not dangerous for Nepali migrant workers to work in Bahrain any longer.
However, the ban on Nepali migrants´ entry into other two nations, Libya and Yemen, is still in effect. “There is no chance of lifting the ban on these two countries, particularly Libya, any time soon,” Kashi Nath Marasini, Director of the DoFE, told Republica.
However, these two countries are not vital labor destinations. “We are not bothered about these two countries,” Kumud Khanal, general secretary of the NAFEA, said.
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