Kathmandu, June 17 -- Foreign employment recruiters protested in Kathmandu on Wednesday against Saudi Arabia's new mandatory skills certification requirement for Nepali workers, saying the rule was introduced without Nepal's consent and would impose an additional financial burden on migrants seeking jobs in the Kingdom.

Protestors gathered outside a Saudi Arabia-backed skills certification centre in Basundhara and tore down a signboard bearing the words "Skills Certification Programme".

As part of the implementation of the mandatory skills certification requirement, Saudi authorities had scheduled the inauguration of the centre and planned to begin skills assessments for workers in general occupations on Wednesday.

The protesters state...