Bhubaneswar: Intensifying efforts to rescue six workers stranded in Thailand, the Odisha Government has initiated urgent measures and approached the Ministry of External Affairs (MREA) to ensure their safe return.
The move comes following reports that the workers were denied wages and food by their employer. The stranded workers had appealed to the Odisha government to facilitate their safe return from Thailand.
Official sources said that the Principal Resident Commissioner of the state government in New Delhi and the Labour Commissioner have formally apprised the Ministry about the issue, seeking urgent intervention.
In the letter, the state officials have urged the MEA to initiate necessary steps to ensure the workers are rescued safely and brought back to India at the earliest. Discussions are also underway regarding further measures to be taken by the state government.
The matter was also raised in the state Assembly on Thursday and Fisheries & Animal Resources Devel
opment Minister Gokulananda Mallik confirmed that the state has written to the MEA seeking intervention.
According to sources, five of the stranded workers hail from Kendrapada district, while one belongs to Bhadrak. They had reportedly travelled to the Southeast Asia country in August last year after being promised jobs at a plywood factory with a salary of Rs 25,000 each and free lodging and boarding facility.
Their families had earlier appealed to the state government for help after the workers reported being subjected to exploitation and left without basic sustenance in Thailand.
The workers’ plight came to light when they posted videos online, narrating how they were forced to live in dire conditions without pay or food. Their families subsequently approached local authorities, prompting the Odisha Government to escalate the matter to the MEA.
The state has urged the central government to coordinate with the Indian Embassy in Thailand to ensure the workers’ immediate rescue and safe repatriation.
This incident has sparked concern over the vulnerability of migrant workers from Odisha, many of whom travel abroad in search of livelihood opportunities.
A similar incident was reported in 2024 when 12 workers from Kendrapada sent a video to their parents, alleging that they were being held captive by their employer in a plywood factory at Bang Bua Thong in Thailand.