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?
He was identified as Mahesh Sarker, 55, son of Naresh Sarker of Parkhi village in Tangail’s Kalihati upazila. He flew to Malaysia last April and had since been languishing in a Kuala Lumpur accommodation, rented by their Bangladeshi recruiting agency.
<p>The labour counsellor at Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, Talat
Mahmud, confirmed the death and said the body would be flown back home by today.</p>
<p>Earlier 80 workers staged hunger strike last month on the premises of Bangladesh
High Commission in Kuala Lumpur after the Malaysian company, PTC Asia Pacific,
which hired them for factory jobs failed to employ them.</p>
<p>On the night of September 15, the Bangladeshi recruiting agency’s henchmen
allegedly attacked the workers following which they were shifted to a church
in the Malaysian capital with the help of police and a rights organisation,
Tenaganita, that works for migrant workers.</p>
<p>The workers were later accommodated in a house rented by the same recruiting
agency after a Bangladesh delegation led by the acting secretary of the Ministry
of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Abdul Matin Chowdhury, visited
Malaysia.</p>
<p>The secretary also assured them that they will be returned the money they paid
to the recruiting agency for their Malaysia job once flown back home.</p>
<p>Till October 5, only 25 of the workers arrived in Dhaka though Matin, the secretary,
promised to bring them back within October 5. The top ministry official, however,
could not be contacted yesterday for comment on the government’s failure to
live up to its promise.</p>
<p>Those who disembarked on October 5 include Azgar Ali of Gaibandha, Sultan and
Mehedi Hasan of Bogra, Aynal of Savar, Dhaka, Shahadat of Kushtia, Moksed Ali
Sarder of Naogaon, Al-Amin of Faridpur, Masud Rana of Tangail, Zia of Jessore
and Ibrahim.</p>
<p>Tangail’s Mirza Faruk and Al-Amin of Naogaon arrived on October 3, while Jahurul
Islam of Bogra and Selim of Comilla on September 28.</p>
<p>The returnees said thousands of unemployed Bangladeshis are languishing in
Malaysia half-fed.<br>
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Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=6956</i>
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