Malaysia started a crackdown last night on illegal migrant workers, including those from Bangladesh. Earlier yesterday, a source at Bangladesh high commission in Kuala Lumpur said that the Malaysian police would raid work places of the migrants and their residences to detain illegal foreigners staying without valid documents. Meanwhile, Expatriate Welfare Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said “Bangladeshi nationals working in Malaysia without valid documents will not be provided with any legal assistance as they did not legalise their papers despite receiving multiple chances”. The ministry is not going to allow some illegal expatriate workers to tarnish the country’s image, he added. About 600,000 Bangladeshi workers currently live in Malaysia. The Malaysian government has declared amnesty for Bangladeshi workers in five phases since 2011 to legalise their papers. However, around 35,000 Bangladeshis have failed to come under that amnesty programme.
Despite warning of stern action by the Malaysian government, some manpower recruiting agencies still continue to send Bangladeshi workers to the country with tourist visa.
-With The Independent input
