3,403 workers from Bangladesh detained in Malaysia since Jan 1

At least 3,403 Bangladeshi workers who became undocumented were detained by the Malaysian immigration police since January 1.
According to Malaysian national news agency BERNAMA, 4,82,535 other Bangladeshi workers got themselves registered under Malaysia’s Rehiring Programme.
Since January 1, a total of 17,869 undocumented expatriate workers were detained by Malaysia’s immigration police, according to BERNAMA .
When contacted, a Bangladesh High Commission labour wing official in Kuala Lumpur told New Age that they were not aware about how many undocumented Bangladeshi workers were detained in Malaysia in last five months.
He said that Malaysian courts will decide what punishments they would get.
He said that the Malaysian authorities crackdowns on undocumented expatriates from time to time.
Malaysia’s immigration department director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali told BERNAMA that the undocumented expatriate workers were detained during 6,019 enforcement drives held since January 1.
Besides, 455 employers were also arrested during the period on the charge of employing or harbouring undocumented expatriates, Datuk Seri Mustafar said in a statement on Friday.
He said that the undocumented expatriates included, 6,315 Indonesians, 3,403 Bangladeshis, 1,956 Filipinos, 1,748 Myanmar citizens and the rest from other countries.
Mustafar said that 7,44,942 undocumented expatriates and 83,919 Malaysian employers got themselves registered since Jan 1, availing of the Rehiring system.
He said that 92,280 other undocumented expatriates surrendered voluntarily and returned to their own countries during the period.
He said that 53,129 undocumented expatriates were detained for overstaying and 39,151 others for lacking valid visas.
According to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training, Malaysia began hiring 
Bangladeshi workers in 1978 and over nine lakh Bangladeshis got jobs there ever since.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net