Illegal Workers
Malaysia mulls amnesty again
So far 444 Bangladeshis held in crackdown
Illegal foreign nationals detained in the ongoing crackdown in Malaysia will be given another chance to be legalised, the Malaysian home minister has said.
This move was in view of the country’s need for foreign manpower in certain sectors, Malaysian English daily The Star reported yesterday.Some 5,000 illegal immigrants have so far been detained since the start of the drive on last Sunday.
Of them, 444 are Bangladeshi nationals, said Shameem Ahsan, director general (external publicity) of the foreign ministry, quoting Bangladesh high commission in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysian Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has said that not all of those detained will be deported.
“We will provide the facility for employers to register these workers to be legalised under the 6P amnesty programme because we are considering the shortage of manpower in certain sectors, which we reckon foreign workers are needed,” he said at a press conference.
They had also listened to the appeal from employers that the detained migrants should be given another chance, the minister explained.
The first phase of the operation, which will continue till the end of this year, is a part of the amnesty programme that started in 2011, and targets those who registered under the programme, but did not turn up for legalisation and deportation.
Around 2.7 lakh out of about five lakh Bangladeshis in Malaysia were registered under the amnesty programme, and nearly two lakh were legalised, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia AKM Atiqur Rahman has recently told The Daily Star over the phone.
Some 25,000 of those registered, however, have returned home taking advantage of the amnesty. Some 45,000 have been cheated by their agents and have not got work permits, he said.
“We have requested the Malaysian government to legalise those who have proofs of their registration. Its home minister has said he will consider it,” the envoy said.
-With The Daily Star input
