Nepal envoy recalled after Qatar "open jail" remarks
September 27, 2013 - Nepal recalled its ambassador in Qatar on Thursday after she
called the Gulf state an "open jail" for Nepalis who suffer labour abuses, and amid
outrage about labour conditions and deaths as the emirate prepares to host the 2022
soccer World Cup. Maya Kumari Sharma's remarks were made about six months ago in
an interview but only attracted attention this week after they were reprinted in a
report by Britain's Guardian newspaper that documented the deaths of dozens of Nepali
workers in Qatar over the summer. A cabinet meeting decided to sack Sharma after
Qatar complained about her comments, officials said. Sharma was appointed last year
by the Maoist-led government. "The government has decided to recall the ambassador
as her comments and behaviour went out of the diplomatic norms," Bimal Gautam, an
aide to the chairman of interim cabinet Khilraj Regmi, told Reuters. Millions
of Nepalis are employed in Malaysia, South Korea and the Middle East, including Qatar.
Migrant remittances account for about a fifth of Nepal's gross domestic product. The
Guardian report, published on Wednesday, said thousands of Nepali workers were enduring
labour abuses as Qatar prepares to host the 2022 World Cup. The Qatar 2022 Supreme
Committee said in a statement that government authorities were investigating the allegations,
which have shone an unfavorable spotlight on its preparations for the world's biggest
sporting event after the summer Olympic Games. Qatar was awarded the World Cup three
years ago in a surprise decision. The tiny Gulf state is now in a race against time
to complete an extensive amount of infrastructure work. (Source: Reuters)