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?
"We are looking into it and waiting for the GCC to come back to us," she said during a question-and-answer session at a seminar on Malaysia-United Arab Emirates Business Opportunities, here Thursday.
<P>She said that if both parties agreed on the framework to
be covered for the agreement, discussions could commence.</P><P>The GCC comprises
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Omar, Qatar and the UAE.</P><P>Rafidah said this
in response to a question whether Malaysia could have a FTA with the UAE.</P><P>The
minister is leading a 80-member trade and investment mission to the UAE, Qatar,
Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.</P><P>Earlier, in her reply to a question regarding
Malaysia-US FTA negotiations, she reiterated that negotiations were market-driven
with the private sectors contributing to it considerably.</P><P>She also pointed
out that non-negotiable issues like Malaysian government policies were totally
left out of the negotiations.</P><P>"No country can tell us to change our
policy, or how to run our country," she said to applause from the some 250
participants comprising mostly businessmen from Dubai.</P><P>She said that issues
touched were only those that would mutually benefit both countries. — BERNAMA</P><P><I>Source:
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_business.php?id=252846</I>
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