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Indian workers languishing in U.S. Army camps

By Our Staff Reporter

ALAPPUZHA, JUNE 24. A group of Keralites who worked in the United States (U.S.) Army camps in Iraq have said that hundreds of Indians were still working in various camps of the U.S. Army in Iraq.

This was revealed at a press conference here on Wednesday by Peter Thomas who is a resident of Mavelikkara, V.N. Anil Kumar, a native of Thiruvananthapuram, and Justin C. Antony, a native of Ernakulam. They said that they had information that Indians were still being exploited at the Al-Azad air base of the U.S. Army in Iraq where they had worked.

Although a large number of Indians had been evacuated from there, many Indians continued to work there without the knowledge of the Government of India, they said. Mr. Peter pointed out that there was no assurance on the safety of Indians there, as natives and militants were continuing their attack on the U.S. Army camps.

Although the U.S. Army had supplied bulletproof jackets to soldiers and workers from other nations, Indians were denied this, they said. Mr. Peter said that labour laws were being violated in the camps. The Indian workers were being denied even their salary, he added.

Mr. Peter alleged that the Indian Embassy in Jordan, which had been entrusted with the safety of Indians working in Iraq, had adopted a hostile attitude when they were trying to return to India. "The embassy officials made us sign various papers showing that we had not been tortured by the company that employed us at the army camp and then handed us back to the representatives of the company," claimed Mr. Peter.

He said that the embassy officials had warned him not to speak to the media on the issue when he returned to India. Mr. Peter said that Sameer Khan, a resident of Mumbai who was handed over to the company by the embassy officials, had not returned to the country.

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