Labour rights group Tenaganita said its efforts to assist 123 stranded Indian nationals, who are trying to secure their passports and unpaid wages from their employers, have been hampered after a majority of them, were moved to a remote area in Banting, Selangor.

The workers, who had been staging intermittent sleep-ins outside the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur since May 11, want the mission and Tenaganita to appropriately and expediently look into their predicament.

Tenaganita had been in constant communication with the high commission and the workers till last weekend when the workers were discreetly moved-out from downtown Kuala Lumpur.

"We did not know about the move initially. We weren't able to communicate with them as the leader's mobile phone was out of range. This has hampered out efforts in working on their case," said Tenaganita programme officer Florida Sandanasamy when contacted today.

The workers had originally been housed at Sentul's Madras Caf and Tropicana - by a high commission appointed agent - while efforts were undertaken to secure the return of their passports and payment of seven-months due salaries by their former employers.

Dialogue sought

"We have not been told why they were moved and it's much harder now to keep the workers informed of what we're doing and to update them on developments in the case while getting their input on decisions which need to be made," said Sandanasamy.

She added that Tenaganita has written to the mission to express dissatisfaction with the move - to a remote area lacking in basic amenities and facilities - and to seek a dialogue session with the mission in the presence of the workers.

"In our short, interrupted phone conversations, the workers have expressed their unhappiness with the move and their new shelter," she related.

Malaysiakini 's attempts to secure an explanation from the high commission proved futile.

The workers, whose former employers in Johor Baru are alleged to have mistreated them, arrived in Malaysia beginning September 2004.

They were promised monthly wages of over RM700 by Local Assembly Sdn Bhd and Local Technics Sdn Bhd through negotiations with an agent in India.

However, upon arrival, they were paid sums much less than what was contractually promised. This resulted in them fleeing from their employers - who are also alleged to have cramped them up in a small living quarters.

Some of the workers have been sent back to India since their plight was highlighted on May 12 and since negotiations involving Tenaganita, the high commission and the employer's lawyers began less than two weeks ago.

Review process

"Forty-three of them have been sent back (travel paid for by the mission) without their salary claims and their passports," said Sandanasamy.

She said Tenaganita was concerned with this common occurrence among migrant cases and added that the government needs to review its foreign workers recruitment procedures.

"In this case, the workers had not been here very long. When they arrived, they were told that there was not much work available and were made to operate on a daily wage basis where some only worked for 10 to 20 days a month.

"The government should ask on what basis does its ministries issue letters of demand for foreign workers. Does it check if there is actually work available and whether necessary efforts had already been taken to allow locals an opportunity to these jobs.

"On hiring foreign workers, the government must check that agents follow proper procedures and that workers are justly compensated as promised to them," she added.

Malaysia's domestic work force comprises of some 2.6 million foreigners - both legally and illegally employed.