Asia-Pacific
Stranded Indian workers seek shelter in Afghan temple
(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-01-10 20:53
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 Indian migrant workers stranded in Afghanistan eat lunch at a Sikh temple in Kabul January 10,2010. [Photo/Agencies] |
Often barely literate and with few resources or connections, migrant workers are highly vulnerable to fraudsters and cheats. Khandu said he had already lost money when another fake agent sent him to Bangkok for a job that also did not exist.
But strained labour markets and low wages at home mean many feel they have little choice but to seek work overseas.
A mix of men from Rajasthan, Mahrashtra, Andhra Pradesh and other Indian states now spend most of the day huddled round a brazier or dozing under blankets waiting for rescue.
They are trained as carpenters, electricians and masons, but work is short in Afghanistan and they worry about security problems if they go out. The embassy says it is doing as much as it can to help this batch and prevent a repeat of the fiasco.
"The Afghan authorities have been requested to exercise caution in granting visas for potential Indian workers in Afghanistan by checking on their employment status," its statement said.
