70-year-old mother hassles to bring her daughter's body back to homeland

Nawalparasi, Feb.13: Eyes of 70-year-old Dhanmaya Sarki of Kawasoti Municipality-4 of Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East) have not dried since the past 10 months.

Dhanmaya has not stopped shedding tears since hearing the news of the murder of her daughter, who had gone to Malaysia for employment. 

The last phone call between mother and daughter was when her daughter Tilmaya Sarki called from Malaysia to see her mother's face on the day of Matatirtha Aunsi ( mother's day) on May 8. 

A week later, another call came and it was learned that the 25-year-old daughter Tilamaya had been murdered. She has been restless since then. 

It has been 10 months since the murder of Tilmaya, who left her six-year-old daughter in care of her mother after divorcing her husband and flew to Malaysia, but neither the body nor the relief money has been received.

The elderly mother and her minor daughter became increasingly restless as the body of Tilamaya is yet to be brought to Nepal despite many efforts over a long time.

 Mother Dhanmaya has been going relentlessly to the ward office and municipality for 10 months to bring her daughter's body. 

She complained that despite completing all the paperwork and corresponding it to Malaysia, there was no hearing.

"Ten months have passed in hope of receiving my daughter's body, but neither body has been brought back neither relief money has been received", he said.

Neelamaya Sarki, sister of Tilamaya, said that soon after the news of Tilamaya's murder, all the documents were prepared and the body was requested to be taken to the immigration center, but it all went to deaf ears. 

She said, "Another concern of not receiving the relief provided by the government has been added on top of not receiving body and documents in time. Whatever sad incident happened it happened, but receiving relief will help in providing for the daughter."  

Ranjana Lamsal, consultant of the Safe Migration Center Safer Migration (SaMi) Program said that as soon as the news of the death was received, the necessary documents were sent to Malaysia to verify the relationship, but the body has not yet been brought to Nepal.

"According to the Malaysian Embassy, we have received information that if the body is brought to Nepal without the conclusion of the investigation then there will be a problem for the case to not reach into conclusion. There is concern that if the case does not reach into conclusion, then the minor will lose the relief that she needs to get," she said.

According to the rules of the Foreign Employment Board, the application for financial assistance must be submitted within one year from the date of death. 

Tikaram Dhakal, the spokesperson of the Foreign Employment Board, said that a case has been filed against a Pakistani youth accused of murdering Tilamaya and the body has to be investigated, so the process of bringing the body has been delayed.

He said, "The embassy informed us that it took a long time to mobilize the body", he said, "Even after the body was identified, we have received information that the body is still in the hospital and the hospital has not verified the death certificate."

According to the statistics of the Safer Migration (SaMi) Program, 18 people have died from Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East) for foreign employment till the end of January of the current fiscal year. 

The bodies of three of those who died during this period are yet to arrive in Nepal.