Bangladeshi expats urge govt to help illegal migrants caught in crackdown

PETALING JAYA: An organisation representing Bangladeshi expatriates has urged its government to help their fellow citizens who have been caught in the ongoing crackdown on illegal migrant workers in Malaysia.
The World Bangladesh Organisation (WBO) today said many Bangladeshi workers have fled and are living in distress, fearing arrest by Malaysian authorities.
WBO president Kazi Enayet Ullah urged the Bangladeshi government to talk to Malaysia for an amicable solution to the situation.
The Indonesian government has also said it would ask Malaysia to stop its crackdown on illegal migrant workers and extend its rehiring programme.
Indonesia's Labour Minister Hanif Dhakiri said dozens of Indonesian illegal migrants have been arrested for failing to follow the rehiring programme, which is Malaysia's policy to address the problem of illegal workers.
The four-and-a-half-month-old programme, which ended on June 30, helped illegal workers get a card so they could be legally employed in Malaysia.
"(The move is necessary) in view of the large number of illegal migrant workers in Malaysia, including those from Indonesia. If the programme is extended, coupled with easy and cheap voluntary repatriation program, then many (illegal migrant workers) will join it," Dhakiri said at the Manpower Ministry in Jakarta on Thursday.
The Indonesian Manpower Ministry will send a team of officers to Kuala Lumpur to discuss its request for the extension of the rehiring program at an informal meeting.
The Nepali government was the first to react to the crackdown on the illegal migrant workers. It has taken measures to ensure its arrested citizens were able to return to their country.
Nepali's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked its embassy in Malaysia to keep communication lines open with officials of detention centres in Malaysia to send back detained Nepalis safely.
The ministry's joint secretary, Durga Bhandari, said the embassy and labour attaché in Malaysia had been asked to manage air tickets for the detained Nepalis who were not able to purchase return tickets.
"Though working illegally in any country cannot be encouraged, the recent move will affect remittance inflow from Malaysia if undocumented Nepali workers are sent back," said Ganesh Gurung, a foreign employment expert.
"The trust that Nepali migrant workers in Malaysia have been able to build over the years will be eroded if the Malaysian government finds a large number of Nepalis working illegally during this crackdown."