The Home Affairs Ministry said that there were 1,850,063 foreign workers in Malaysia as of March this year. Of this number 1,215,036 were from Indonesia, 200,220 from Nepal and 139,716 from India. There was also a considerable number of foreign workers from Burma, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Philippines, Pakistan, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Cambodia.
According to a new directive issued by the Labor Department employers who hired Indonesian domestic workers after June this year would not be allowed to renew their workers’ permits unless they complied with new requirements. These include signing an employment contract, opening a savings account to deposit their worker’s monthly wages and buying a mandatory annual insurance policy to protect the domestic worker. The new ruling came after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Malaysian and Indonesia last month seeking to improve the working condition of Indonesian domestic workers. However, the Consumers Association of Penang said that the new regulations should apply to all domestic workers, not just the Indonesians.
Health Minister Datuk Dr. Chua Soi Lek announced the government’s decision to stop hiring foreign doctors on employment contracts. According to the minister there had been several complaints about the work habits, inadequate skills and poor health conditions of the foreign doctors. There are currently 698 foreign doctors in the country who are on three-year contracts. Since 2003, the contracts for 118 doctors, including 43 from Pakistan, 36 from Egypt and 20 from India, had not been renewed.
According to the police, the sex trade in Malaysia has become a lucrative business attracting both local and foreign women, with some as young as 14 years old. Many of the foreign sex workers come from China, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines but an increasing number of women from Russia, Uzbekistan, India and Vietnam are also being recruited by syndicates. Some of the women worked for the syndicates for a few months; later they worked on their own. However, there were also those who were tricked by pimps into marriage before being forced into prostitution. Since 2004, Malaysian authorities have rescued 365 sex workers, including 150 Indonesians, 76 Chinese and 74 Thais.
1,500 irregular immigrants nabbed
More than 1,500 irregular immigrant workers at a factory in Sepang were rounded up at the workers’ hostel during an operation involving more than 1,000 Rela members from Selangor and Negri Sembilan. Those arrested were from Indonesia, India, Burma, Vietnam, Nepal and Cambodia. Authorities estimate that there are still about 138,000 irregular immigrants left in Selangor.
Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) is questioning the statement made by Home Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad that the government would be launching a major operation to rid the country of some 500,000 irregular immigrants. According to PBS president Datuk Pairin Kitingan, Sabah alone has already more than 500,000 irregular immigrants. Pairin urged the government to verify the irregular immigrant population first before launching a major operation.
Since Malaysia does not practice the legal principle of ‘jus soli,’ in which a person’s nationality is determined by the place of birth, the children of Filipino and Indonesian immigrants who failed to register their babies at birth are considered “stateless." In Sabah alone, there are about 36,000 stateless children of Indonesian origin, mostly children of palm oil plantation workers. According to Mohamad Rosli Jambari, head of a government task force on the issue, there is no exact figure yet on the number of stateless children of Filipino origin. Jambari clarified, however, that, officially, they prefer to use the term ‘undocumented’ rather than ‘stateless’ to refer to these children. Malaysian officials fear that if the problem of these undocumented children in Sabah remains unchecked it could result in social unrest.
Irregular immigrants in Sabah accused of water theft
The Sabah State government vowed to take necessary action against irregular immigrants, particularly those involved in water theft as reported by Teo Chee Kong, an engineer from the Kota Kinabalu’s Water Department. According to Teo the Water Department was forced to disconnect the supply to Kg Suluk Likas on 18 July because irregular immigrants in the squatter areas used illegal connections to siphon water from the main pipeline. This practice allegedly cost the department huge losses and deprived its paying clients of their water supply. Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman said irregular immigrants have no right to enjoy the facilities meant for the locals and should be dealt with according to the law.
A 26-year old Indonesian domestic worker filed charges of mistreatment against her employers on 23 July. Siti Sunarti claimed that her employers, a computer salesman and his wife, beat her up, splashed her with hot water and hit her with blunt objects. Siti was able to lodge a complaint after her employers brought her back to the employment agency thinking that she had told neighbors about the beatings. The case is currently under investigation.
The Federal Court has ruled in favor of a group of 48 Indian workers in the breach of contract case they filed against their Malaysian employer, Chin Well Fasteners. The court ordered the employer to pay each worker between RM8,000 and RM25,000, depending on their length of service with the company. The workers filed the case in 2003, claiming that their employer paid them a monthly salary of only RM350 in violation of their contract that stipulated a monthly rate of RM750 plus benefits.
Home Affairs Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Paduka Abdul Rahman Ibrahim denied allegations that immigration officials have not been issuing multiple-entry visas to Chinese and Indian nationals in violation of a Cabinet decision. Ibrahim explained that the issuance of multiple-entry visas was a problem only when tour agents apply for such visas on a group basis. Otherwise, businessmen can apply for five-year multiple-entry visas with the only requirement being that they produce a credit card as proof of their financial status. Similarly, these visas can be granted to tourists who possess visas from countries, such as the US and Australia.
Sources: Arman Gunsika, “Let’s get figures right before major Op: Pairin," Borneo Bulletin, 18 July 2006; Bernama, “1.8 million foreign workers in Malaysia," 18 July 2006; “CM: Illegals have no right to use our facilities," Daily Express, 18 July 2006; “Government to stop hiring foreign docs," The Star, 18 July 2006; Arman Gunsika, “Water theft rampant among illegal immigrants," Borneo Bulletin, 19 July 2006; IANS, “Indians third largest group of foreign workers in Malaysia," Daily India, 20 July 2006; “No problem getting multiple-entry visa," New Straits Times, 20 July 2006; M. Krishnamoorthy, “Maid: Contract alone won’t protect helpers," The Star, 23 July 2006; V.P. Sujata, “Contract of employment a must," The Star, 23 July 2006; Abdul Khalik, “RI maids in KL to sign contracts," The Jakarta Post, 24 July 2006; Ahmad Fairuz Othman, “Maid alleges beating by employers," New Straits Times, 24 July 2006; “‘Protect all foreign workers’," The Star, 24 July 2006; PTI, “Malay Indians win case against employer," Hindustan Times, 26 July 2006; Andrew Sagayam, “Sex trade a lucrative business in Malaysia," The Star, 27 July 2006; “Cops: Prostitutes charging between RM200 and RM300," The Star, 27 July 2006; Jalil Hamid, Reuters, “Stateless children in Malaysia in limbo," 28 July 2006; Mergawati Zulfakar, “1,500 illegals nabbed," The Star, 31 July 2006