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Malaysia – Foreign workers being ripped off by recruiters

24 July 2014

The Deputy Chairman of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) has accused rival political party the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) of defrauding foreign workers, reports freemalaysiatoday.com.

“Malaysia’s policy on foreign workers is fraught with UMNO crony recruitment agencies ripping off millions of ringgit from foreign workers,” he said.

Deputy Chairman, S Ramakrishnan, said that instead of formulating a long-term comprehensive foreign labour policy, UMNO politicians were busy plotting more schemes to swindle migrant workers: “Activists and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have voiced out that the government’s [amnesty] programme to register foreign workers is a failure and a scam.” 

The Foreign Worker Amnesty Programme, launched in June 2011, enabled the 1.8 million illegal immigrants to either legalise their status or return to their home country with no form of punishment. Employers hiring illegal workers were also granted amnesty and allowed to legalise their workforce.

Mr Ramakrishnan added: “The introduction of the biometric system is an added cost, and agents as well as officers from the Immigration Department end up making money out of these foreign workers.”

He said that in Nepal, the Malaysian embassy was collecting fees for an agency that was not physically present for visa-processing: “In Katmandu, the Home Ministry made it mandatory for medical centres conducting health checks on workers in that country to install software developed by a Malaysian IT firm.”

“These mandatory installations have increased medical inspection rates from NPR 1,500 (USD 15.37) to NPR 4,215 (USD 43.19) per worker with the total amount, including visa, costing NPR 11,225 (USD 115) as opposed to NPR 6,525 (USD 66.86) previously. Even the repatriation of illegal immigrants is monopolised by Umno cronies who further rip off foreign workers,” he said.

Mr Ramakrishnan alleged that foreign workers were a money-making machine for law enforcement agencies: “Anybody can enter Malaysia; as long as they have enough money to grease the palms of immigration officers at the entry point, and law enforcement agencies while living here, and again at the exit point.”