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A nightmarish experience in Malaysia
From Chander Parkash
Tribune News Service

BATHINDA, July 18 — The youths of Malwa region of Punjab who have been going abroad for a better future have been undergoing nightmarish experience, including, physical harassment.

“We were forced to manufacture earthen pots by the owner of a factory at Barvas city of Malaysia from sunrise to sunset without any break. The owner of the factory was of Chinese origin. When we demanded our wages we were severely thrashed by the henchmen of the owner,” said Tajinder Singh, a resident of Kotheguru village of this district, who recently returned after a one-year ordeal in Malaysia.

After the owner of the factory threw all of them (seven in number) out of the factory, their one-room residence was also set on fire by him. Their documents, including passports, and clothes were destroyed in the fire.

Then they went into the jungle to escape arrest by the police as they did not have work permits. They got the job of cutting wood in the jungle. The business was being run by a native of Malaysia. After work they used to spend nights in the jungle under the open sky. A person named Rooseling, hailing from Indonesia, was also working with them.

One day, Rooseling died when he was bitten by a poisonous insect. The owner instead of sending his body to his native place buried it in the jungle.

Tajinder Singh further said that after this incident the owner of the business also started threatening them when they demanded proper shelter and wages. Then all of them decided to surrender before the police instead of facing death and starvation.

In the jail, their condition further deteriorated. Five of them were packed into a very small room with no ventilator. They were forced to answer the call of nature in the same room. For about 22 days at a stretch they were not allowed to see the sun.

In the jail, they were being given a handful of half boiled rice and a small quantity of water. They were forced to use the water for drinking and bathing purposes.

After 22 days in the jail they were shifted to a camp where they came into contact with another person belonging to Punjab. This Punjabi youth, hailing from Kapurthala district, arranged tickets for them for their return to India.

One of them, who was fluent in English, managed to get clearance from the immigration authorities for their return to India from jail. At last, they reached India on June 20.

Tajinder Singh pointed out that the unscrupulous travel agent who had sent him to Malaysia, was still running his business of export of human cargo without any fear of police action.

Rajveer Singh, another youth of Kotheguru village, who also spent three months in Malaysia under very tough conditions, and managed to return to India, said Punjabi youths like him who were going abroad by paying huge money to the travel agents were buying their own death in reality.