Saved from bonded labour in Myanmar, 13 return to TN

CHENNAI: Thirteen people from Tamil Nadu, who were among those living as bonded labourers and forced to do illegal activities in Myanmar, returned to Chennai on Wednesday morning.

These youngsters were part of dozens who were lured with the offer of a job in the telecom sector in Thailand with a good salary package and had paid the fee that the manpower agencies demanded. But after reaching Thailand, they were taken to Myanmar and were forced to do illegal activities. Treated as bonded labourers, they were beaten up if they failed to follow orders.

After some of them managed to inform their parents about the ordeal, the State government got involved and found that there were 300 Indians trapped in Myanmar, including 50 from Tamil Nadu. After Chief Minister MK Stalin and his counterparts from other states took up the matter with the Centre, the Indian embassy got involved and managed to rescue some of them.

A group of them reached Delhi from Thailand on Tuesday and then Chennai in the wee hours of Wednesday. Minister KS Masthan, who received them at the airport, said the government would identify and take action against the agencies that cheated them, and assured that all those trapped there would be rescued.