Expatriate Ministry contradicts reports on workers repatriation from Malaysia

DHAKA, Bangladesh, June 26 (BSS) - Expatriate Welfare and Overseas
Employment Ministry today contradicted a recent media report
saying Kuala Lumpur was set to send some two lakh Bangladeshi
workers back home as they stayed there for over 12 years.

"The Malaysian government so far has not taken any decision
to return foreign workers who have been staying there for over 12
years," the ministry said in a statement.

Moreover, it said, even if Kuala Lumpur took any such
decision the number of Bangladeshi workers working there for over
12 years could be as high as "2,000, not two lakh".

The statement, said, the foreign workers needed to renew
their work permits every year in Malaysia and already Kuala
Lumpur renewed the 13th annual work permits of many Bangladeshi
workers.

It said, Bangladesh embassy in Kuala Lumpur earlier requested
the authorities there to renew the 13th annual work permit to
Bangladeshi workers and the Malaysian government was issuing the
documents after necessary examinations.

"If Malaysia stops issuing the work permits for overseas
workers staying there for more than 12 years, the decision will
be applicable for all foreign workers there, not only the
Bangladeshis alone," the statement said.

It acknowledged that recently Malaysia decided to reduce the
number of illegal workers in that country.

"Yet the authorities there are considering to allow fresh
recruitment of workers from Bangladesh while several Malaysian
companies were allowed to recruit new manpower from Bangladesh,"
the statement said.

Officials said, until July 2006, the number of Bangladeshi
workers in Malaysia was 68,000 and of them only 8,000 went there
through a "u turn".

Over 53,000 Bangladeshi workers went to Malaysia from January
1 to June 23 this year.