http://www.waaytv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7821448

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAAY) - Federal authorities are trying to track down more than 100 Cinram workers from Nepal who went missing after their arrival in Huntsville. Now, the company who brought the workers to the United States claim to have located some of them.

Last week federal authorities confirmed that the employees from Nepal who were in the country on a worker’s visa had disappeared without a trace. No one knows where the workers went, but landlords who were housing the Nepalese said some of them took off with television sets, furniture, and other valuables.

Officials at Blair Staffing Agency said they have found passports with return stamps from Nepal.
The company president told WAAY-31 News that he doesn’t know for sure how many workers may have returned.

The Department of Homeland Security uses a tracking system for all foreign workers, and officials there haven’t confirmed any of the Nepalese actually left the country.

There is a small Nepalese community that has called Huntsville home, some for many years. Leaders of this group told WAAY-31 News Monday that they’re not happy with what the national attention has done to their reputation.

“It’s pretty embarassing to us, even though no one else is accusing me personally,” said Nepalese native Dr. Tilak Shrestha. “But the whole country gets this bad rap. That’s what we’d like to correct

Some also said the missing workers got a raw deal from Cinram, and that the stealing accusations aren’t true.

Earlier today those accusations were challenged by Nepalese leaders in town.

“You can’t accuse these people,” said Santosh Pokhrel. “Everyone says Nepalese people stole and its not true. [Others are] just ripping them off. [They are] actually stealing money from them because you are taking advantage of these people.”

Pokhrel has been a U.S. citizen for 12 years, and runs a gas station in Madison. The Nepal native came into contact with some of the Cinram workers last week, and said both the landlords and Cinram have tried to exploit his countrymen.

“We want to see them treated fairly,” Pokhrel said. “[The landlords] need to take their word back. [The workers were] accused of stealing furniture, and everyone knows its not true. You walk in that apartment and you see how much that costs.”

Reporter: Nick Banaszak
Web Editor: Dana Franks

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