Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has formally sought the intervention of the Government of India to ensure the urgent rescue and safe repatriation of six emigrant workers from the state who are reportedly stranded in Thailand and facing severe hardship.
In a letter addressed to the Additional Secretary (Southern Division) of the Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday, Principal Resident Commissioner Vishal Gagan highlighted the plight of the workers and requested immediate action. The communication was sent following inputs received from the Director of Odisha Paribar under the Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department.
According to the letter, six workers from Odisha, employed at a plywood company in Thailand, have allegedly not been paid their salaries for the past three months and are living in distressing conditions. The Commissioner noted that the stranded workers had reached out to the state government through social media platforms, seeking urgent assistance for their rescue and return to Odisha.
The workers have been identified as Jashobanta Sahoo, Prasanta Rout, Bijaya Kumar Swain, Hemanata Behera, and Jayant Kumar Malik from Kendrapara district, and Manaranjan Sahu from Bhadrak district.
Urging swift intervention, the Principal Resident Commissioner requested the MEA to take appropriate diplomatic steps to secure the workers’ safety, facilitate the payment of their pending wages as per contractual entitlements, and arrange for their safe repatriation to India.
“In view of the serious nature of the plight of the workers, it is requested that urgent action may kindly be initiated for disbursal of remuneration to the emigrant workers as per their due entitlement and for their urgent rescue and safe repatriation of six emigrant workers of Odisha from Thailand back to their native places in Odisha. Early action in the matter is earnestly solicited,” the Commissioner stated in the letter.
In a video message circulated on social media, the workers alleged that they have been denied wages for several months, threatened by their employer, and left to cope with food shortages and difficult living conditions. They appealed to the Odisha government to intervene and ensure their immediate rescue and return home.
The development has prompted the state government to escalate the matter to the Centre, seeking coordinated diplomatic efforts to address the crisis and bring the workers back safely.
