Nepali citizen repatriated by Thai authorities

Kathmandu, Jan. 17

A Nepali citizen, who was lured by the promise of attractive employment and forced into illegal activities in Laos' Golden Triangle, was repatriated to Nepal on Friday with the assistance of Thai authorities.

According to the Embassy of Nepal in Bangkok, Thailand, the Nepali national had escaped from Laos and entered Thailand. However, the Embassy did not publish the name of the repatriated individual.

The Embassy urged all Nepali people through a statement to follow the official guidelines, which require obtaining proper work permits before seeking foreign employment. It also advised against falling for temptations that promise quick and large sums of money through illegal activities in countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.

Earlier, in December 2024, the Embassy had repatriated five Nepali nationals to Nepal including one woman. They were rescued from Myawaddi in Myanmar and taken to Thailand before sending them to Nepal.

Earlier in March 2024, 13 Nepalis who were stranded in the Thailand-Myanmar border area were rescued and repatriated to Nepal.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal issued a travel advisory in December last year urging Nepalis preparing to go to Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos to exhibit extra caution. A similar advisory was issued by the Embassy in Thailand two years ago. 

As per the MoFA, the human traffickers have been taking Nepalis to those countries with a promise of high-income jobs in private companies, casinos and digital marketing. But later they are forced to do illegal work.

Any foreign nationals visiting these countries with a 'tourist visa' are not allowed to work there, and they are not open for Nepali nationals for foreign employment.

 Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 18 January 2025.