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?
In the early hours of a Monday morning, trucks belonging to Malaysia’s People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) suddenly surrounded a neighbourhood in the shadow of Kuala Lumpur’s Bukit Bintang area, home to some of the city’s glitziest hotels and shopping malls.
<p>The Rela members banged on doors and ordered the occupants outside, many of
them foreigners working in menial jobs at nearby hotels and restaurants. The
workers were ordered to produce documents proving that they were living legally
in Malaysia and those who failed to do so were arrested and taken to a detention
camp. More than 200 people were rounded up in the sweep and another one in Kuala
Lumpur that night.</p>
<p>The raid was one of many that Malaysia has conducted against undocumented migrant
workers since 2005 in a campaign criticised by human rights groups for illegal
detentions, extortion, and excessive use of force against Malaysia’s estimated
3m foreign workers, a third of whom are considered illegal. The campaign has
become the focus of concern from diplomats who see in it the emergence of a
potentially dangerous trend. "The crackdown has elements of xenophobia,”
says one foreign diplomat in Kuala Lumpur.</p>
<p>The crackdown enjoys public support. Foreigners are blamed for rising crime
rates, although police statistics show that foreigners account for only a small
percentage of the crime committed in Malaysia. The crime issue is expected to
be a main issue in a general election expected this year.</p>
<p>"The government needs to be seen to be doing something about the problem
and foreigners are a convenient scapegoat,” says Kua Kia Soong, a sociologist
who is also a director for local human rights group Suaram.</p>
<p>At the centre of the controversy is Rela, a territorial militia. In 2005, Rela
was given new powers as Malaysia launched a campaign to expel illegal foreign
workers. Rela’s 500,000 members were given the right to make arrests, conduct
house searches and be armed in some cases.</p>
<p>"Most Rela members receive little training or vetting. It appears to attract
some recruits who like the idea of the enhanced power that a uniform gives them,"
says Yap Swee Seng, the executive director of Suaram.</p>
<p>Some workers detained claim that their residence papers were confiscated by
Rela members. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Malaysia has
protested that others arrested have been people it recognises as refugees, fleeing
persecution in Burma. Malaysia is not a signatory to the UN refugee treaty,
although it has provided temporary asylum to some who are scheduled to be resettled
in other countries. Those detained face up to five years in jail and six strokes
of the cane before being deported. Human rights groups describe conditions in
the detention camps as deplorable, with poor food and housing.</p>
<p>Suaram says it has received complaints about people under arrest being robbed
of money, mobile phones and other possessions by Rela members or being forced
to pay bribes to be released. New York-based Human Rights Watch recently described
Rela as "a vigilante force” since its members are paid M$80 (EUR17) for
each arrest, a system the government recently agreed to stop.</p>
<p>The government’s Human Rights Commission says its investigation into the complaints
found that the problems have been exaggerated, although it concedes there have
been isolated cases of abuses.</p>
<p>The government has also defended its use of Rela, which it says provides crucial
support to an immigration department that would otherwise be overwhelmed by
the illegal worker problem. In addition, Rela is seen as an important part of
Malaysia’s national defence force.</p>
<p><i>Source: http://www.ftd.de/karriere_management/business_english/:Business%20English%20Rights%20Malaysia/260255.html</i>
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