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?
“The passport is my life and I was left with only a photocopy of it,”
said Jeevanathan, 34, recalling the robbery at his door-manufacturing factory
in February.
<p>Jeevanathan and 82 of his colleagues, who also lost the passports, have been
having sleepless nights wondering if they would ever recover their travel documents.
</p>
<p>Their employer’s assurance that reports had been lodged with the relevant
agencies did not console them. </p>
<p>Consular officers, here for two days to handle matters pertaining to issuance
of passports, visas for Malaysians and attestation of Indian documents, said
they would help the workers. </p>
<p>“We want to make it easy for Malaysians to travel to India, and when our
nationals have problems we have to help them also. We can’t just leave
them like that,” said Second Secretary Charan Jeet Lal. </p>
<p>He and his team travel here and to Penang every three months to attend to matters.
</p>
<p>“I am happy that I will be getting my passport again,” Jeevanathan
said after submitting the relevant application forms. </p>
<p>V. Jeyashankar, 23, from Tamil Nadu, who has been working in Malaysia for the
last three years, was also pleased at the prospect of receiving a new passport.
</p>
<p>“The passport is very important. Only with it can I go back home,”
he said. </p>
<p>A temporary office was opened at the Johor Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
car park to handle the passport applications. </p>
<p>Lal said the High Commission had issued some 89,000 visas for Malaysians to
travel to India last year.
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