Friday, January 16, 2015

MALAYSIA:::Employers’ group defends migrant workers against crime stigma

The Malaysian Employers Federation today dismissed the perception that foreigners were the main causes of vice in the country. – The Malaysian Insider pic, December 19, 2014.
Contrary to public perception, foreigners are not actually involved in the majority of crimes in the country, said the Malaysian Employers Federation.
MEF president Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan said official figures provided by the police last year showed that only 7% of crimes in Malaysia were committed by foreigners.
"Malaysians like to blame all crimes on foreign workers and this perception is created largely due to media reports," Shamsuddin told reporters today at MEF's launch of a guidelines for employers on migrant workers.
This was 11.25% of the 85,029 crimes recorded in Malaysia during that period.
Shamsuddin, however, said of the foreigners involved in crime, those responsible were mostly illegal immigrants.
He suggested that authorities crack down on illegal immigrants year-round as opposed to conducting such operations seasonally.
"Authorities should handle the issue of illegal immigrants and workers with greater firmness. Send them back to their country and send the right message."
Shamsuddin said one way to combat the issue of illegal immigrants was to make it more affordable for them to come and work here, as the high fees currently were a deterrent to obtaining legal entry.
"For example, an Indonesian wanting to come and work in Malaysia would need to pay about RM9,000 in fees," he said.
"This is one of the reasons why they prefer to enter the country illegally and save on the RM9,000." – December 19.

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