ALOR SETAR: About 200 Nepalese workers at a plywood factory staged a protest to demand that their employer bring in a medium to ward off evil spirits which they believe had caused the deaths of three of their colleagues.

The hour-long protest was held in front of the factory in Jabi here at 8.30pm before police came to disperse them.

It is learnt that the Nepalese became worried following rumours that the deaths of three workers at their hostel last month were attributed to evil spirits. They became agitated and held the protest to demand that their employer hire a medium.

Kota Setar Traffic and Public Order chief Deputy Supt Mat Akhir Jaafar said the Nepalese were worried that many of them would also die and wanted their employer to solve the problem.

“During the protest, one of the workers suddenly had difficulty breathing and was rushed to the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital for treatment. We also brought three of the workers to the hospital to show them that their colleagues’ deaths were due to long-standing health problems,” he told reporters yesterday.

DSP Mat Akhir said the factory management agreed to hire a medium as requested by the workers.