Bangladesh

Volunteers not allowed to visit refugee camp due to low safety level

Evan Quick

Source: The Malay Mail Online

Malaysian Islamic Organisations Consultative Council (MAPIM) president Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid (left) handing items to representatives of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society at Chittagong port February 14, 2017. — Bernama pic

Malaysian Islamic Organisations Consultative Council (MAPIM) president Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid (left) handing items to representatives of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society at Chittagong port February 14, 2017. — Bernama pic

CHITTAGONG (Bangladesh), Feb 14 — The low level of safety was the main reason the Bangladesh Government only allowed 25 volunteers of the Food Flotilla For Myanmar to visit the country’s refugee camp.

Humanitarian Mission head Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim said the Bangladesh authorities were worried that they would not be able to control the situation if all the 182 volunteers went to the refugee camp.

“The safety of the volunteers is not guaranteed because they have found firearms at the refugee camp, that is why only 25 people were allowed to disembark.

“The Government of Bangladesh suggested that we come back in 15 days if we want to see the distribution of food supplies,” he told reporters after handing over 2,000 tonnes of foodstuff to the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society and International Organisation for Migration (IOM) at Chittagong Port here today. Read more →

No human smuggling at border since January, says diplomat

admin

Source: The Malay Mail Online

An abandoned human trafficking camp at Wang Kelian, Perlis. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, June 17, 2015.

An abandoned human trafficking camp at Wang Kelian, Perlis. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, June 17, 2015.

GEORGE TOWN, Aug 5 — The attempt to smuggle 60 Myanmar nationals into Malaysia from Thailand recently was an “isolated” case.

Mohd Affandi Abu Bakar, the Malaysian consul-general in Songkhla, South Thailand, said there was no record of human trafficking syndicates resuming their activities along the Malaysia-Thai border between January and June.

“We have been monitoring the situation at the border and this latest case reported near Padang Besar (Thailand) could be an isolated one,” he told Malay Mail.

“There were no incidents of human trafficking after the crackdown by authorities in Thailand and Malaysia in the middle of last year.”

He declined further comment pending an investigation into the matter.

Human trafficking activities are believed to have resumed after the Myanmar nationals, without proper documentation, were rescued by Thai authorities before they could be smuggled into Malaysia. Read more →

Bangladesh signs deal to send 1.5m workers to Malaysia

admin

Source: Global Government Forum

Bangladesh supply 1.5m workers to Malaysia to fill key gaps in Malaysia’s manufacturing and service sectors

Bangladesh has agreed to supply 1.5m workers to Malaysia over the next three years under a new bilateral accord. The Government-to-Government Plus (G2G Plus) Memorandum of Understanding is designed to fill key gaps in Malaysia’s manufacturing and service sectors, and to supply manpower for its plantation industry.

The deal, which includes both male and female workers, was signed by Bangladesh’s Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam and Malaysia’s Human Resources Minister Richard Riot. Under the agreement, the cost of sending a worker – about 34-37,000 Bangladeshi taka (£300-£328) – will be borne by the employers, while Dhaka will facilitate and oversee workers’ security clearances.

“We hope that this process would be much more transparent and accountable” than the current arrangements for overseas workers, Bangladesh’s Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam told reporters, adding that the deal would help prevent human trafficking. Richard Riot emphasised that the memorandum will also protect Malaysian citizens, arguing that it “clearly reflects the government’s priority in providing employment opportunities for local workers.”

Malaysia, home to nearly 6m foreign workers, is already a key manpower market for Bangladeshi nationals – about 600,000 are estimated to be in the country, mostly working in the plantation sector.

The governments will have to ensure that problems such as illegal or high recruitment costs, unsafe working conditions, and unfair migration policies are addressed. And independent experts, both inside and outside the two countries, have expressed serious concerns over the proposal. Read more →