Malaysia cancels visas of 70,000 Bangladeshi workers

Kuala Lumpur, Mar 10 (PTI) Malaysia today cancelled the visas of 70,000 Bangladeshi workers, who were expected to arrive in the southeast Asian country soon to take up employment, due to the global financial crisis.
Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar also said the visas and levies amounting up to 9,000 ringgit (about one lakh rupees) which each worker had paid would be refunded.

Yesterday, the Malaysian Trades Union Congress called for the cancellation of these visas, noting that Malaysia was facing the possibility of losing thousands of jobs due to current economic meltdown and the influx of foreign workers would worsen the situation.

Earlier, Bangladeshi Labour Counsellor Talat Mahmud Khan said here that 70,000 Bangladeshi workers, who had approved visas, were expected to arrive in Malaysia soon to take up employment in the plantation, construction and services sectors.

Asking the government to revoke the visas of these Bangladeshis, MTUC Vice-President A Balasubramaniam yesterday said as Malaysians risked losing thousands of jobs, the travel documents of the foreign workers should be cancelled while they were still in their country of origin.

Malaysia heavily relies on foreign workers to help out in the plantations, construction and services sector.

The Human Resources Minister Subramaniam earlier said that the Bangladeshis would be employed in the plantation field as locals do not want to work in the sector.

PTI