Malaysia is determined to rid the country of some 700,000 undocumented migrant workers, mostly holding menial jobs in factories, plantations and construction sites in a bid to bring down crime rates and other social problems associated with their presence. Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak announced that as part of new measures, all irregular migrants would be prosecuted and sent to jail first before being deported; their employers would be sent to jail as well. Authorities have also tapped neighborhood watch groups to work with the police in stepping up checks on irregular migrants.
In Kuala Lumpur, immigration authorities rounded up 145 irregular migrants working in the construction industry, including 119 Indonesian men, 22 Indonesian women, a Burmese man, a Bangladeshi man, an Indian national and an Indonesian boy, at three residential projects on 4 August.
The Sabah Immigration Department has detained three local employers, including two women aged between 26 and 43, and 173 suspected irregular migrants for immigration violations. They were arrested during a raid on 31 July of three housing construction sites in Likas, Putatan and the State Capital. Meanwhile, a Filipino worker drowned in a swamp in Kota Kinabalu after fleeing from a similar raid by immigration authorities on 31 July at a nearby construction site.
Perak Immigration director Datuk Ishak Mohamed warned the public against renting out their houses or premises to irregular migrants. According to Ishak, those found guilty would be held liable in court and face a fine of RM5,000 or a jail term of up to one year.
Home Affairs Minister Datuk Azmi Khalid announced that a special meeting would be held on the second week of August to discuss specific issues relating to the problem of foreign and undocumented workers in the country. Among the issues to be tackled is the issuance of the MyKad to facilitate the monitoring of legal foreign workers and Indonesia’s appeal for a postponement of the deportation of Indonesians currently held at Malaysian immigration detention centers.
The Human Resources Ministry has hired a consultant to determine the number of documented and undocumented foreign workers and the companies employing them. The ministry expects the audit report to be completed in six months. Meanwhile, a task force headed by Datuk Dr. P. Manogran would monitor the progress of the report.
Home Affairs Minister Datuk Azmi Khalid announced the implementation of new measures, effective 10 August, to address problems related to the employment of foreign domestic workers. The new regulations now allow domestic workers and employers who do not get along to terminate their contract. Domestic workers can request for a transfer twice, with a maximum of three employers, within the two-year contract. Meanwhile, the agency that brought the domestic worker must reimburse the first employer based on the period of actual service rendered and then charge the new employer fees and levies proportional to the remaining period of the worker’s contract. With the new measures, the government hopes to reduce the problem of runaway domestic workers and cases of abuse.
According to Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr. Fong Chan Onn, the draft of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to ensure the protection of Indonesian domestic workers in Malaysia has been finalized. It will be submitted to the Home Affairs Ministry for further discussion on certain aspects under its jurisdiction. It is hoped that the MoU will provide sufficient protection to Indonesian domestic workers, including respect for their religious rights. In the past, there has been some concern over potential problems arising from the employment of Muslim domestic workers in non-Muslim households.
Police have arrested a 72-year old Malaysian woman over allegations that she had slashed Indonesian domestic worker, Saeni Salikan, 31, on the neck with a knife last 31 July. The Malaysian allegedly became angry because Saeni had a banana and a cup of hot chocolate without her permission. The Indonesian Embassy has provided Saeni with temporary refuge while investigations on her case are ongoing.
Malaysian employer, Teh Leong Chin, 47, was beaten to death with a large stick by a group of Bangladeshi workers at his furniture factory in the central Selangor state last 2 August. According to the police, the workers got into a heated argument with their employer over delayed salaries that later escalated into a fight. Police are still searching for the suspects.
The Health Ministry has terminated the services of some 22 foreign doctors due to communication problems and incompetence. The move is consistent with the ministry’s plan to completely phase out all foreign doctors by 2009. Presently, there are 730 foreign doctors working in Malaysia, mostly from India, Pakistan, Egypt, Burma, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Canada. According to Health Minister Datuk Dr. Chua Soi Lek, the only foreign doctors still being recruited are those from Burma since they could speak English and were trained in Britain.
NGOs are pushing for the implementation of the minimum wage scheme in all job sectors in order to reduce the country’s intake of foreign workers. According to the NGOs, the only ones profiting from the present set-up are the recruiting agencies that bring in foreign workers and the employers interested in cheap labor. The call came following a recent warning by Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr. Fong Chan Onn that the number of foreign workers in Malaysia could reach five million by 2010 if employers continued to depend on them.
Four men were allegedly cheated by an Ipoh-based employment agency that promised them construction jobs in Australia in exchange for placement fees of RM4,800 each. The men reportedly reached as far as the Perth International Airport, where they had been refused entry by immigration officials and sent back to Malaysia. Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan said that she would file a complaint with the Consumer Claims Tribunal against the agency and ask the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry to investigate the workers’ claims.
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