MoFA limits ECR to 12 hours

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, May 24: Stating that the condition of Nepalis in West Asia has remained normal, the government has reduced the operation of the Emergency Control Room (ECR) to 12 hours from round the clock facility. 

"We remain continuously vigilant regarding the safety and interests of Nepalis in West Asia. The ECR established at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) will now be operated from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm only, reduced from its previous 24-hour operation," Spokesperson of the Ministry Lok Bahadur Poudel Chhetri said at a media briefing on Friday. 

Until Friday. the Control Room received more than 160 calls, over 50 emails, and more than 110 contacts via online messaging platforms, in addition to over 10 physical appearances. 

However, the number of migrant Nepalis seeking support of the government via the ECR has gone down significantly, of late.  

In the last 48 hours, there have been only two contacts. Similarly, the number of people filling out the online form launched by the DoCS currently stands at 87,863. 

According to Chhetri, only 12 people registered in the last 14 days.

The MoFA said that the government is closely monitoring the recent developments in the West Asia region. Although the region remains tense, the possibility of meaningful dialogue is strong, and the situation has been on an improving trend since May. 

"The most pressing needs at present are to ensure the success of diplomatic efforts for peace, to clear the blockage in the Strait of Hormuz, and to establish lasting peace in the region. Nepal supports the ongoing bilateral and multilateral efforts to clear the blockage in the Strait of Hormuz," read a statement from the MoFA.

It also expressed hopes that the blockage will soon be resolved, and the affected supply chains and inflated market prices will gradually move towards normalisation.

687 Nepalis rescued from East Asia 

Meanwhile, the government has successfully rescued of 687 Nepalis from illegally operated online scamming centres in the border areas of Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand in Southeast Asia.

The Foreign Ministry said that the rescue operations were conducted with the coordination and 

collaboration among various agencies by the Nepali missions in Thailand and Myanmar. Of them, 71 individuals have been rescued in the last two weeks.

Out of that total number, 562 Nepali citizens have been rescued from Cambodia, 111 from Myanmar, 8 from Laos, and 6 from Thailand, and brought back to Nepal. It is estimated that many more Nepalis may still be trapped in that region.

Likewise, at the request of the Embassy of Nepal in Bangkok, the Cambodian government has so far waived fines for 102 Nepalis, and a request has been made for the waiver of fines for an additional 172 Nepalis. Twenty-nine Nepalis are imprisoned in various Cambodian jails on charges including organised crime, torture, and human trafficking. 

"Efforts continue to secure remission of sentences for 18 Nepalis imprisoned in Myanmar, and they have been visited and provided with necessary assistance," according to the MoFA.