Five more Nepalese men have been repatriated after being stranded in the Federated States of Micronesia
They are from a group of 16 Nepalese found nearly starving, along with around 18 Indians, in Micronesia in late 2014 after being swindled by human traffickers.
Hoping to reach the US or Australia, they paid for help from human traffickers who smuggled them to Micronesia on boats via Malaysia and Indonesia before leaving them stranded.
After finding them without any valid travel documents, FSM authorities arrested the Nepalis and sent them to detention centres.
With assistance from the International Organisation of Migration, seven of the group were sent back to Nepal in June.
The rest applied for asylum in Micronesia, including the five sent back this week with one-way fares provided, according to the Embassy of Nepal in Malaysia.
The Himalayan Times reports that four Nepalese have been acknowledged as refugees by the UNHCR.
