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 36-year-old Bangladeshi had been living in Malaysia for 13 years and operating
from his office in Bangunan Cahaya Suria, Jalan Silang, Kuala Lumpur.
<p>Acting on a tip-off, Immigration officers raided his office recently and seized
documents for recruiting foreign workers.</p>
<p>They found a letter the man wrote to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi dated Aug 1, 2006, requesting approval from Immigration to bring in workers
from Bangladesh.</p>
<p>To give himself credibility, he had compiled the mastheads of various local
newspapers with photos of himself greeting VIPs like Abdullah and Tun Dr Mahathir
Mohamad to make them appear as newspaper clippings.</p>
<p>There was even a photo of what he claimed was a kenduri tahlil he organised
after the death of Abdullah’s wife, Datin Seri Endon Mahmood</p>
<p>It is believed that the man has a "Datuk" as his partner in bringing
in illegals.</p>
<p>Immigration enforcement director Datuk Ishak Mohamad said the man also claimed
to be an aspiring politician in Bangladesh, as he had printed flyers announcing
his intention to run in the next election.</p>
<p>The man, who speaks fluent Bahasa Malaysia, will be detained for 14 days to
facilitate investigations.</p>
<p>"He is likely to be charged with abusing his work permit under Section
39(b) of the Immigration Regulations," he said.
Address: Wisma MTUC,10-5, Jalan USJ 9/5T, 47620 Subang Jaya,Selangor | Tel: 03-80242953 | Fax: 03-80243225 | Email: sgmtuc@gmail.com.com