Malaysia is one of Asia's biggest employers of foreign labour. But recently, cases of deaths, abuse and forced labour have come to light. What is going on? Who is protecting these migrant workers?
Meanwhile, Malaysian police picked up the 82 agitating Bangladeshi workers
during demonstrations on the Bangladesh high commission premises in Kuala Lumpur
on Friday night and handed them over to Tenaganita, a local human rights organisation.
<p>Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, adviser for foreign affairs, expatriates’ welfare
and overseas employment ministries, at an emergency meeting at the ministry
decided yesterday to send a team led by expatriates’ welfare secretary Abdul
Matin Chowdhury to Malaysia to probe the incidents regarding expatriate workers.</p>
<p>"Actions are also being contemplated against Bangladeshi agencies if found
to be at fault," Iftekhar told journalists following the meeting.</p>
<p>"We give utmost importance to any matter that involves the welfare of
Bangladeshi workers. We have a great responsibility towards them. At the same
time, Malaysia is an important market for our expatriate workforce. So the matter
is delicate. We are looking forward to the cooperation of Malaysian authorities
and all concerned," he said.</p>
<p>The Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment is giving the
highest priority to the recent problems of Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia —
particularly to the workers who had been on hunger strike on the high commission
premises, Iftekhar added.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, a Tenaganita official in Kuala Lumpur told The Daily Star over the
phone that the 82 workers are now staying at a place in Rwang, Kuala Lumpur.</p>
<p>"The police picked up the workers in two buses to [send them to] a far
off place, but they did not agree to get off. We [Tenaganita] then negotiated
with the police and kept them in a shelter," he said.</p>
<p>Tenaganita is currently providing shelter to about 300 jobless workers who
left the jobs as they were either underpaid or forced to work longer hours by
their employers, the official added.</p>
<p>The official also said that around 4,000 to 5,000 Bangladeshi workers are now
stranded at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) as their employers did
not show up to receive them.</p>
<p>Quoting Malaysian newspaper The Star, AFP yesterday reported that the Malaysian
immigration authorities established a makeshift camp for foreign workers in
the car park of KLIA.</p>
<p>Malaysia’s immigration department chief Wahid Don said corralling the workers
in the car park would prevent the workers from loitering in the main airport
buildings and creating an ‘unpleasant’ situation for other travellers.</p>
<p>The Star reported on Saturday that thousands of foreign workers, mainly from
Bangladesh, have been forced to camp in the car park while waiting for their
employers to pick them up.<br>
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Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=4302</i>
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