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?
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak was quoted by The Star as saying the
government had given foreigners enough time to respond after extending the amnesty
period following the Dec 26 disaster that killed nearly 220,000 people.
“We are not closing the door on foreigners. They can come back here as
legal workers,” he said.
Police and various enforcement agencies would start operations to weed out
illegal immigrants from next month, he added.
Some 320,000 illegal workers, mostly Indonesians, had so far taken up the offer
to return home without penalty since the amnesty began Oct 29, the daily said.
Humanitarian crisis
The amnesty was originally due to expire Dec 31 but Malaysia extended it for
a month amid fears mass deportations would worsen the humanitarian crisis in
Indonesia and other countries hit by the tsunamis.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi earlier this month had said the government
might consider extending the amnesty to let Indonesia focus on rehabilitating
its devastated Aceh province.
Indonesians make up the bulk of more than a million illegal workers in Malaysia,
many of them from Aceh. Nationals from tsunami-hit India and Sri Lanka also
work illegally in Malaysia, drawn by jobs in the construction, plantation and
service industries. – AFP
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