The plight of these Indians, prisoners in a strife-torn land far from home, is going unheard. The passports of more than 500 Indian employees of the Al Thawra Modern General Hospital in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, are with the hospital authorities and the Indian government is doing precious little to bail them out.
Already living under the shadow of war, they also face the threat of losing their only means of livelihood. Their passports with the hospital authority, the only exit route was by remitting two months’ salary, getting back their papers and paying for the airfare back home. But deprived of their salaries for the last two months, they now live like paupers.
Minister of overseas Indian affairs Vayalar Ravi told this newspaper that the Central government had contacted the embassy there. “Without much delay, a favourable decision will taken in this matter,” he added.
However, Mr Abraham George, secretary of the Indian Employees Association in Al Thawra General Hospital, when contacted, said the association had lodged a complaint with the Indian embassy in Sana’a. Officials issued a request notice to the hospital authorities citing the government’s advisory to all Indians in Yemen to return. But there has been little progress after that.
He said the hospital authorities were unwilling to budge and were sticking to the stand that the return of the Indians’ passports was possible only on the remittance of two months’ salary.
“The hospital authorities swear by the employment contract. Unfortunately, most of those who signed the contract did it through middlemen and were not aware of the clauses in it. We have also brought this to the attention of the chief minister and expect his intervention to save the lives of the employees here,” he added.
Kerala excise minister K. Babu said the state government will do all it can and was in consultations with the Union government.