They said a verdict of Malaysian High Court on April 18, 2005 upholding the judgement of Malaysian Labour Court delivered on April 24, 2000, has made it possible for them to get the compensation.

The press conference was organised jointly by Shikkha Swasthya Unnayan Karjakram (Shisuk) and Obhibasi Kalyan Forum at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) Auditorium.

Nazmul, Azhar Ali and Belayet Hossain, ex-Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia, said workers of Chung Wah filed a case with the labour court in 1999 accusing the company of not paying increased salary, overtime and other benefits according to the job contract.

The labour court gave a judgement in favour of the workers, but the employer filed a writ petition with the High Court Division challenging the verdict and threatened the workers to withdraw the case, they added.

Under this situation, Tenganita, an NGO of Co-ordination of Action Research on AIDS and Mobility Asia (CARAM-Asia), and Shishuk came forward to assist the stranded Bangladeshi migrants, they said.

Shishuk Executive Director Sakiul Millat Morshed said after a seven-year- long legal battle, Bangladeshi workers are going to get the compensation.

But some 116 Bangladeshi migrant workers of Linsun (Malaysia) sdn Bhd` company, are still in uncertainty about their compensation despite a court verdict in favour of them, he regretted.

The workers filed a case in 2003 against their employer alleging fake contract and stoppage of salary, and the session court gave its verdict in February 2004 asking the employer to pay the workers approximately Tk 13 lakh equivalent to MYR 8,39,936, Millat said.

But the payment of money is yet to be made due to non-co-operation of the fraud employer, he added.

Shakirun Islam of Shishuk and Suman Ashraf, Faruk Ahmed and Mahbub Elahi of Obhibasi Kalyan Forum also spoke.

Some ex-Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia were present at the press conference.