The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : 10 more Indian workers return

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

10 more Indian workers return

Staff Reporter

Following clashes with local people

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ten more Indian workers, part of a 200-strong contingent working at a private tourist resort in the Maldives, who had been detained in the island nation following a clash with the natives on April 27, reached the International Airport here on Tuesday.

The clash broke out at the Fesdu Fun island, after two Male youths, Asharaff, 20 and Ismail Latheef, 20, both of them workers at the tourist resort, accused Anil Kumar, a native of Pozhiyoor, of using their equipment for work. Anil Kumar who denied the charge was assaulted by the duo with a knife. The victim, who was working as a polisher, sustained serious injuries on his head and hands following the attack.

Meanwhile, around 150 other Indian workers, who decided to boycott work in protest against the assault, were attacked by a group of around 50 natives later in the day. The police who reached the resort imprisoned nine workers in connection with the fight and confined several others to their rooms.

The workers were finally released following the intervention of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. Anil Kumar, who is currently recuperating in Male, is expected to reach here on Wednesday.

According to Reji, a native of Karunagappally who arrived here on Tuesday, the Indian embassy in Male did nothing to secure the release of the arrested workers. "They (the Indian embassy officials) visited us after five days of the incident, and that too only after the intervention of Oommen Chandy," he said. "Even when they came, they were trying to side with the company people and persuading us to continue working in Male," he alleged. Out of the 10 workers who reached here on Tuesday, three are from Tamil Nadu. NORKA secretary Jiji Thomson had gone to Male to oversee the release of the workers.

MDP protest

In another development, the Maldives Democratic Party (MDP), the main Opposition party in the Maldives, had protested against refusal of the Maldives Government to renew the passport of one of its office-bearers Ahmed Shafeeq Moosa.

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