GEORGE TOWN, Dec 30 — The Ministry of Human Resources (MOHR) is conducting further investigations into the case of 171 Bangladeshi migrant workers who failed to find employment in the country in a recent incident in Bayu Damai, Teluk Ramunia, Johor.
Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong said he had instructed the agencies under his ministry to conduct immediate investigations, including summoning the agents involved in the recruitment of these foreign workers.
“I will also meet with Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to discuss and improve the policy on foreign labour soon,” he said.
Sim was speaking to reporters after visiting the family of the 28-year-old technician R.Tinesh Kumar, who died while conducting maintenance work on a lift at a shopping complex in Jalan Burmah, George Town, here on Dec 26.
Sim, who is also Bukit Mertajam MP, made these remarks when asked to comment on the incident involving the hiring of 171 Bangladeshi who had been unemployed for months since entering the country.
Kota Tinggi district police chief Hussin Zamora reportedly confirmed the arrests of the workers and said they were legally brought into Malaysia, but their agent had yet to provide them with work after three months.
Earlier, a video showing the Bangladeshi nationals walking in large numbers had gone viral on social media, causing uneasiness among the locals.
The foreigners were understood to be heading to the Bayu Damai police station, about 10 km away from their accommodation, to lodge a police report against their agent for not providing them jobs as promised. — Bernama