Domestic workers arrested, flushed out

March 10, 2010: Immigration officials have arrested some 130 people from Thimphu, Paro, Haa, Wangduephodrang, Punakha and Chhukha who were working as maids and baby sitter without obtaining permission from the government.

Those arrested by the officials are as young as 10 years, and most came from India while few from Nepal. 40 were voluntarily declared by the employers. The arrested domestic workers have been flushed out of the country. They were drop out at the checkpoints with no one receiving them.

A total of Nu 500,000 was collected as fines from them for not leaving the country on the prescribed date.

The officials faced difficulty in identifying them since they changed their names and speak fluent Dzongkha and Sharchop.

The immigration officials had been raiding homes since a month. The immigration department, with their teams from four from regional offices and two from Thimphu, began raiding houses in February.

The government plans to span out the teams to all districts.