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?
“A Malaysian team will come to the United States in mid-April for consultations.
<P>“We look forward to concluding a high-quality, comprehensive
FTA and obtaining legislative approval for such an agreement,” Steve Norton,
a spokesman for the US Trade Representative’s office, said in a statement.
</P><P>The United States launched talks on a free trade agreement with Malaysia,
its 10th largest trading partner, a year ago. </P><P>Although both sides had been
optimistic of reaching a deal by early 2007, the talks were delayed by a change
in Malaysia’s lead negotiator and hesitation to open its government procurement
market to more US firms. </P><P>After the last round of talks last month, Malaysian
officials said they needed to reach a new political consensus on how to proceed.
</P><P>“Resolution of that process is a necessary step before the negotiations
can continue,” Norton said. – Reuters</P><P><I>Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/3/25/nation/17249791&sec=nation</I>
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