More than 100 Indian nationals are camping outside their high commission in Kuala Lumpur in a bid to highlight their plight of being shortchanged over their wages by their Malaysian employer, who is also allegedly holding on to their passports.

The employees of an electronic factory in Gelang Patah, Johor, have been outside the commission since yesterday afternoon. They arrived there in a bus with their luggage.

The group insist on staying put, even without food and water, until their problems are resolved.

A spokesperson for the men, Pandithurai Thavasi, said they each paid about RM7,500 to an agent in India to secure a job in the factory which promised to pay them between RM600 and RM700 monthly.

"But we just received about RM200 to RM300 per month and the pay was counted on a daily basis. It's too low." he said when met.

He said the workers found it hard to survive on such a low income and decided to return to India.

Passports withheld

However, Thavasi ( left ), who is a rural industry and management graduate from Gandhigram University in Tamil Nadu, claimed that their passports are being withheld by their employer.

According to him, an high commission official had advised them to return to their employer and assured them that the matter would be resolved.

"But all of us don't want to go back there. We don't feel secure as our lives could in danger," said the disgruntled worker.

The high commission's officials could not be reached for comment when contacted this morning. One officer, identifying himself as the secretary to the commission's first secretary RV Ramanan, responded rudely when asked for his name.

"Why do you want to know my name? I said I am his secretary. That's enough, why do you want to know my name?" he said.

A check at 1pm revealed that the group was still outside the embassy.