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?
Suhakam Commissioner Datuk Siva Subramaniam said they should go for the employers
who were the ones holding the documents of their workers.
<p>"There are many companies which employ hundreds of migrant workers but
fail to pay and take care of them properly," he said.</p>
<p>In many instances, he added, migrant workers come into the country legally
but were ill-treated by their employer and thrown out into the streets, forcing
them to look for jobs elsewhere to survive.</p>
<p>"We must clean up this mess. We can’t always blame the workers as
they were promised salaries, accommodation and other incentives before coming
to Malaysia but that all changes when they arrive here," he said.</p>
<p>Siva also said many workers who arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport
were not picked up by their employers forcing them to look for jobs to survive
here.</p>
<p>"This is giving our country a bad image where migrant workers are concerned.
The authorities must go for the employers to be fair," he told a Press
conference at Suhakam office here.</p>
<p>Also present was Em Sameer, 26, from Sri Lanka, who had sought Suhakam’s
help after he was cheated by his former employer.</p>
<p>Em Sameer, who came to Malaysia in 2004 to work, now loiters in the streets
and lives in a mosque after his last employer of one year took away all his
documents, including his passport, birth certificate and identity card. Siva
said his employer did not pay his wages.</p>
<p>There are currently 1.5 million migrant workers in the country.
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