Attempts to report agent lands migrant workers in immigration custody

Immigration Department officers have detained 171 migrant workers from Bangladesh who recently attempted to lodge a police report against their agent.

Kota Tinggi district police chief Hussin Zamora reportedly said they were legally brought into Malaysia but their agent has yet to provide them with work after three months.

“So, the Bangladeshi nationals decided to walk to the Bayu Damai police station, about 10km away from their accommodation, to lodge a police report on Dec 20,” he was quoted as saying by The Star today.

On the same day, a video of the foreigners walking together on a road near the entrance of Teluk Ramunia Bayu Damai was shared on social media.

Hussin said a police report was then lodged against the group.

“The foreigners, aged 19 to 43 years old, were then hauled up by the Immigration Department.

“They were detained at the department’s headquarters in Setia Tropika for investigations under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63,” he added.

He said the workers did not manage to lodge a police report after it was discovered that their agent had yet to find suitable employment for them.

Labour activists described such acts as exploitation of vulnerable workers who often ended up being undocumented in Malaysia.

Among the questions raised include how the employers who signed the employment contracts obtained quota to recruit workers if the employers had no jobs to offer. - Mkini