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?
Immigration Department enforcement chief Datuk Ishak Mohammad said of the 1.8
million foreign workers in the country, 1.2 million are Indonesians.
<p>“We expect the number of those going back to be less than last year because
of several factors, especially the increase in transportation cost,” he
said. </p>
<p>He said the majority of those leaving were expected to return as December would
be the peak season for the manufacturing and plantation sectors. </p>
<p>“Most of them will come back in December because that is the time when
the manufacturing and plantation sectors need huge manpower,” he said,
adding that the Government did not plan to give amnesty this year. </p>
<p>Kosmo! reported that awards conferred by the claimant to the Malacca Sultanate,
Raja Noor Jan Shah Raja Tuah, on the “Sultanate’s 49th Birthday”
in December are of no value as they are not official. </p>
<p>A source from the Protocol and International Secretariat in the Prime Minister’s
Department said the Government would not recognise the awards as Raja Noor Jan’s
position was never verified. </p>
<p>“He has no daulat (sovereignty), so any awards given by him can only be
kept as souvenirs,” said a source. </p>
<p>It was recently reported that Raja Noor Jan was busy nominating candidates
to confer them with the title Datuk Paduka Mahkota Melaka, the highest title
in “his Government”. </p>
<p>The awards were to be given out on the “Ceremony of Title” day on
Dec 25 in conjunction with Raja Noor Jan’s birthday. </p>
<p>A source said that anyone who received a title from Raja Noor Jan and used
it in their names could be charged for using unauthorised titles. </p>
<p>Mingguan Malaysia reported that the tallest and the shortest men in the world
would celebrate Hari Raya in Malaysia. </p>
<p>Ijaz Ahmed , who is 2.65m tall and Ali Zaman, who stands at 1.09m, both from
Pakistan, arrived in Malaysia last Tuesday. </p>
<p>Their manager Syed Qaisar said they would be travelling to Singapore on Oct
29, followed by Brunei and China. </p>
<p>He said while travelling the world, they would also be raising funds for Ijaz,
who needed an operation on the left side of his spine that had been growing.
</p>
<p>He said the operation, costing RM186,000, would be carried out in Agharkhan
in Pakistan.
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