By Binju Sitaula, He Xianfeng

Its his dedication and honesty toward work for a long time which ultimately made him as the first international "model worker" by a Chinese company in Nepal.

Ghana Shyam Thapa, who hailed from Makwanpur district, some 25 km south of Kathmandu, has been elected as a "model worker" by the Zhongding International Engineering Co. Ltd., a Chinese contractor company working in Nepal for 13 years.

"As far as I know, they have selected me as a "model worker" due to my sincerity and long term service," said 33-year-old Thapa, who has been serving as a driller in the tunnels in Zhongding International since 2000.

Thapa also got a golden opportunity to visit China to enhance his work experience. Thapa is leaving for China by Monday night flight for an 11-day visit.

"I am very happy to get this chance to go to China where I can see many big-big tunnels, as you know, I am working here in Nepal in small tunnels, but there are much bigger tunnels in China. I can learn much more from the visit to China," Thapa told Xinhua before his visit to China in Kathmandu on Monday.

Besides getting an award, Thapa is glad that a low level worker has been awarded as a "model worker" by the Chinese company. " Before, only high-level staffs used to get these types of opportunities to widen their knowledge, but this time they have selected me," he said, adding that this opportunity gives new experience.

"No Nepali worker had got a chance to visit big-big-tunnels, I am the first one to get this chance, this shows that we laborers also have our work value," he added.

After being engaged in Zhongding International, Thapa shifted his four-membered family from Makwanpur district to Sindhuli District, the location of Zhongding International in Nepal, some 80 km north of capital Kathmandu, to ease his work responsibility and family responsibility simultaneously.

"We have found great understanding between Nepali and Chinese workers in our company. We chose Thapa as a "model worker" for his outstanding work for nine years. We also want to tell more Nepali workers to learn from Thapa," said Li Lei, Project Manager of Zhongding International, an international contractor company for construction amid the best 225 in the world.

Zhongding International, who entered in the Nepali market in 1996, is bringing out the Sunkoshi Hydro Power Project in Sindhuli district now.

"There are 200 Nepali and 30 Chinese workers working with Thapa on the project, we also take this chance as a symbol of friendship between Nepal and China," Li said.