Nepali detainee Krishna Neupane, 42, was allegedly forced to strip naked and crawl on his bare knees besides being denied food in an eight-month detention ordeal in Malaysia.

“I was beaten up, starved and subjected to constant humiliation,” Krishna told Nepali newspaper The Republica which published his account in an editorial on April 9.

Krishna admitted he had entered Malaysia illegally and was in violation of Malaysian foreign labour regulations.  

“But that does not justify the inhumane treatment meted out by Malaysian security forces onto detainees like Krishna, whatever the crime,” said The Republica .

“This is a clear breach of the UN convention against torture. Currently around 500 Nepalis are holed up in various detention centers in Malaysia for either entering the country illegally or breaching other visa requirements.

“Another 350 Nepalis are in other Malaysian prisons for crimes like murder and drug smuggling,” the newspaper stated.

Previous testimonies of those who have returned to Nepal suggest abuse of foreign workers is pervasive in Malaysian prisons and detention centres.

Last October, 270 Nepali migrants were rescued from captivity and repatriated at the initiative of Nepali government and Malaysian employers.

Home Ministry Press Secretary Brig-Gen Fadzlette Othman Merican said the ministry took complaints of torture and abuse seriously and would investigate the allegation by Krishna.

“We are not inhumane and we respect every detainee's rights and accord all detainees the necessary facilities at our detention camps,” she added.

Time to make amends

The English-language The Republica further added: “It might not be possible to bring back those convicted of serious crimes. But prisoners, too, are human beings entitled to a dignified life.

“In the case of visa-related crimes, Nepal should keep engaging the Malaysian government and major Malaysian employers to work out ways for their safe release and repatriation.

“The October return of 270 workers showed that if Nepal is willing to make some noise, Malaysia will be willing to listen.

“This is also why, in light of the recently publicised cases of torture of Nepalis in Malaysia, Nepal must make Kuala Lumpur aware of its displeasure and ask it to make amends. It can do so in many ways,” the editorial said.

Around 700,000 Nepalis are currently working in Malaysia.

 

The newspaper also reported that according to the Nepali embassy in Kuala Lumpur, some 3,000 Nepali nationals have died in Malaysia since 2003.

When contacted, Nepali Ambassador to Malaysia Niranjan Basnyat ( pix, above right ) confirmed this.

“Yes, it is true. In 2014, we had 361 deaths which means almost one person a day,” he said.

'Keep nudging Malaysia'

On Nepalis continuing to take grave risks to get to work in Malaysia, the paper said: “Progress would have been made if there could be more transparency in paperwork between employers and workers.

"Often, the workers are promised far better terms than what they actually get on their arrival in Malaysia.

“There are so many little things which, taken together, could vastly improve the lives of Nepali migrants workers in Malaysia.

Encouraged by last year's success at repatriation of stranded Nepali detainees, the Nepali government should keep nudging Malaysia to do more to protect and respectfully treat Nepalis there,” The Republica stated.