Malaysia has 1.87 million migrant workers
As of December 2006, there were a total of 1.87 million foreign workers in the country, 3.8 percent more than the 1.8 million cap set by the government. The Immigration Department said that adhering to the ceiling was not feasible because of the booming economy and labor shortages in certain sectors. The Auditor-General’s 2006 report says the Home Affairs Ministry and the Immigration Department should bring the issue to the concerned Cabinet committee to determine a new ceiling.
Demand for foreign workers continues
The demand for foreign workers is growing as the government invests US$57 billion in agriculture, construction and manufacturing to sustain economic growth through 2010. According to the Finance Ministry, some 1.9 million migrants, mostly from Indonesia, account for 17 percent of the workforce. Suhaimi Ilyas, chief economist at Aseambankers Malaysia Bhd., said a shortage of foreign workers will hurt the economy as the country has become increasingly dependent on them. Shamsuddin Bardan, executive director of the Malaysia Employers’ Federation, said the campaign to crack down on irregular migrants would not work because the country is short of some 400,000 low-skilled workers each year.
Meanwhile, politicians blame migrants for increasing crime rates. Data from the Federal Criminal Investigation Department, however, show that migrants account for 3.8 percent of about 200,000 crimes reported in 2006.
Govt urged to act on abuse against Indonesian workers
There are close to 600,000 documented Indonesian workers in Malaysia, some 27 percent of them are domestic workers. The press recently spotlighted some cases of abuse against Indonesian domestic workers. Irene Fernandez, director of Tenaganita, a leading migrant workers’ rights group, said 150 to 200 migrants, mostly domestic workers, sought refuge at the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur every month. She blamed both the Malaysian and Indonesian governments for failing to protect the rights of migrant workers. Yap Swee Seng, executive director of the Malaysian human rights group Suaram, pointed out that domestic workers are among the most abused as they work in isolated environments. Yap urged the Malaysian government to reform the policy and legal system pertaining to migrant workers.
In related news, Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Datuk Zainal Abidin Mohd Zin urged Malaysians to stop stereotyping Indonesian workers as menial laborers. He also expressed his concern regarding abuses against Indonesian workers by Malaysian employers such as the withholding of their passports.
Rela training center opens in Sabah
After the opening of a Rela training center in Kampung Gayang, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman reiterated the crucial role of People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) members in tackling the problem of irregular migrants in Sabah. As of 31 August, there are 51,520 Rela members in Sabah. Rela Sabah has helped to detain 25,338 irregular immigrants since its launch 35 years ago, according to Home Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad. The Rela training center in Kampung Gayan is the largest and most modern training center; it can accommodate up to 250 trainees at one time. Musa also urged Rela to cooperate with local communities in order to support programs organized by the government.
200 Bangladeshis stranded at KL airport
Nearly 200 Bangladeshi workers have been stranded in Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Although they spent some Tk2 to 2.5 lakh each for a job in Malaysia, they are now facing an uncertain future. Dr. Mohammad Noor Ahmed, a public health specialist, during his transit stopover en route to Dhaka, found them in the arrival lounge of the airport on 31 August. He was told that the local agent did not come to the airport to pick them up because their Bangladeshi counterparts did not make payments. They requested him to inform Bangladeshi authorities.
Employer charged over death of Indonesian domestic worker
A Malaysian woman, Cheng Pei Ee, was charged with killing her Indonesian domestic worker, identified as Kunarsih. Her bruised body was found in her room in early September, said lawyer Gooi Soon Seng. Cheng’s husband, Goo Eng Keng, was charged with destroying evidence but was freed on a 9,000-ringgit bail. Local police chief Zainal Rashid Abu Bakar said Kunarsih died from internal bleeding. Kunarsih started working for them four months ago. Tatang Razak, an Indonesian Embassy official, said 15 domestic workers were currently staying at an embassy shelter.
Abuse by domestic worker caught on webcam
The webcam installed by a young couple in their condominium caught their Indonesian domestic worker abusing their three-year-old daughter. The webcam showed that the domestic worker repeatedly stomped on the body of the girl. When confronted, the Indonesian allegedly tried to jump off the fourth floor condominium balcony. The employers, their children and the Indonesian domestic worker were taken to the Sentual police station for questioning. The worker told police that she had been assaulted by the couple. Police are investigating if the injuries had been self-inflicted. The couple said they had installed the webcam after their daughter often complained of stomach pain.
Foreigners charged with immigration violations
Six Chinese and one Indonesian were charged with working as guest relations officers without work permits. They were nabbed at police raid of an entertainment outlet in Kota Kinabalu in August. Four other personswere detained on suspicion of hiring the foreigners without work permits.
Two women claiming to be princesses from an ancient Indonesian empire, Puteri Lamia Roro Wiranata, 21, and Puteri Fathia Reza, 23, were charged with entering the country illegally and allegedly representing themselves with false documents. Malaysian immigration authorities caught them in a buffer zone between Brunei and Malaysia’s Sarawak state on 16 July. They claimed they had been living in exile in Switzerland and Germany and visited Southeast Asia using passports issued by the Sunda Democratic Empire – the former monarchies of the Sudanese people in Indonesia dating back to centuries. They managed to enter Brunei in July but had been supposedly expelled by Brunei authorities and forced into the buffer zone.
Bus driver accused of letting irregular migrants on bus
A bus driver pleaded not guilty to allowing 11 irregular Burmese immigrants get on an express bus. Ooi Lek Hung, 36, from Taiping, was charged with allowing the Burmese to get on the bus on the North-South Expressway near the Hutan Kampung toll plaza on 10 August. Ooi is facing a RM5,000 to RM30,000-fine or 12 months’ imprisonment or both for each immigrant.
5 Burmese killed in road accident
Five Burmese irregular immigrants and a bus co-driver died when the bus they were in crashed into a ravine at Batu 8, Tanjung Pari along the Baling-Kelantan Highway on 11 September. There were 46 irregular Burmese immigrants who had been detained on the bus. The others sustained some injuries. They were heading to a detention camp in Rantau Panjang from the detention camp in Belantik, Sik.
Sources: “Abuse by maid caught on camera,” Daily Express, 2 September 2007; “200 Bangladeshi workers stranded at KL airport,” The Daily Star, 3 September 2007; AP, “Malaysia couple charged in murder of Indonesian maid,” The Jakarta Post, 5 September 2007; “Fighting human trade,” The Star, 5 September 2007; Kalinga Seneviratne, “Class clash mars Malaysia-Indonesia ties,” Asia Times, 6 September 2007; “Boss charged over illegal hiring of foreigners,” The Star, 7 September 2007; AFP, “Malaysians told to stop stereotyping Indonesians: report,” 10 September 2007; “Bus driver who had 10 illegals charged,” The Star, 10 September 2007; “Envoy: Stop stereotyping Indonesian workers,” The Star, 10 September 2007; “1.87 million foreign workers,” The Star, 10 September 2007; Tunku Shahariah and Norlia Ramli, “Five illegal immigrants among six killed in bus crash,” The Star, 12 September 2007; “Foreign women found hiding’,” Daily Express, 12 September 2007; “‘Monitor illegals in kampungs’,” Daily Express, 12 September 2007; Arman Gunsika, “RELA members should monitor the presence of illegals: Musa Aman,” Borneo Bulletin, 13 September 2007; Soraya Permatasari, “Malaysia expels illegal workers; Employers go short,” Bloomberg.com, 13 September 2007; Agencies, “Women charged in Malaysia,” Shanghai Daily, 13 September 2007; “Abused Filipino kid dies, duo are held,” Daily Express, 13 September 2007; Bloomberg, “Employers hit as M’sia expels illegal workers,” Today, 14 September 2007