Bhubaneswar: A desperate appeal has emerged from Thailand, where four migrant workers from Odisha's Kendrapara district and one from Uttar Pradesh say they have been stranded for months without salaries, passports, or food.
In video messages circulated online, the workers urged both state governments to intervene and facilitate their return to India.
The Odia workers, Khirod Das of Gobanga, Manoj Mallick of Poijharia, Kailash Sethi of Nahuni, and Nityananda Mallick of Padanipal along with Raj Kumar Pasi of Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, allege they were recruited on tourist visas to work at a plywood factory in Kabin Buri district.
Once in Thailand, their employer allegedly confiscated their passports and withheld wages for the past four months.
The workers claim they are being threatened with arrest or even death if they refuse to continue working or demand their dues. With expired visas and no financial resources, their situation has grown increasingly precarious. "The company owner has taken away my passport. Whenever I ask for it, I am threatened with death or being handed over to the police," one worker said.
Another lamented that despite continuous work, he has not been paid for months and is surviving without proper food. The group has appealed to both the Odisha and Uttar Pradesh governments for urgent repatriation.
Authorities in India are expected to take up the matter through diplomatic channels, as the case highlights the growing risks faced by migrant workers abroad.