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?
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<DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><img src="images/news/2007/KL27_100107_amandeep.jpg" border="1" name="news_img"><br>
</DIV><div align="LEFT" class="news"><B>Amandeeb Singh is among the 10 construction
workers injured when the scaffolding collapsed. <I>Pix: Zainol Bidin</I></B></div></td></tr></table><p align="justify" class="news">
Dang Wangi OCPD ACP Muhammad Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman said the dead were a local
and a Myanmar national and they were killed instantly because of serious head
injuries when construction material and debris fell on them.
<P>He told this to
reporters during a visit to the accident site.</P><P>The construction company
involved, Putra Perdana Construction Sdn Bhd, identified those killed as Liew
Wan Chew, 52, from Ampang Tasik Tambahan here and the Myanmar national as Hram
Uk, 25.</P><P>So far, of the 10 injured, only three could be identified, Amandeeb
Singh, 20, Jarnail Singh, 28, and Rahtuv Singh, 22, all from India, according
to a press statement from the company.</P><P>It said all the men involved were
employed by a sub-contractor, Usaha Tiga Sdn Bhd, and were engaged in "granite
slab-cladding" work at the third floor of the building under construction
when the tragedy happened.</P><P>Muhammad Zulkarnain said the dead and injured
were sent to Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL).</P><P>At the HKL, Liew’s son, Wei Lun,
28, told reporters that his father had informed the family of some safety issues
at the site and that several accidents had happened there.</P><P>"However,
he did not delve too much into them but did mention that the scaffolding at the
site was not really safe.</P><P>"My father said that once some wood fell
from a height and injured a worker," Wei Lun said when met at the hospital’s
mortuary.</P><P>He said his father had been a construction labourer the last 10
years and only recently started working at this site.</P><P>Meanwhile, a cousin
of Hram Uk, Steven Nilwae, 45, when met at the HKL’s emergency ward, said that
he and Hram Uk, who was also known as Boinei Thang, had come to Malaysia two years
ago.</P><P>Nilwae, who is pursuing an English course at Institute Goon here, said
he came to know of the tragedy after being informed of it by the site’s management.</P><P>He
said that a colleague of Boinei, known only as Shodom, 25, was injured in the
incident and that he was trying to get in touch with their relatives in Myanmar
to inform them of what had happened.</P><P>The complex’s developer, Kuala Lumpur
Pavilion Sdn Bhd, in a statement issued here expressed regret over the tragedy
and extended its condolences to the families of those killed.</P><P>It said that
it would give its full cooperation to the authorities to investigate the cause
of the accident and render whatever assistance it could to help the victims and
the bereaved families.– BERNAMA</P><P><I>Source: http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=24054</I>7
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