Malaysia cancels 55,000 visas of Bangladeshi jobseekers
Md. Fazlur Rahman | Thursday, 12 March 2009
The Malaysian government Tuesday cancelled visas for more than 55,000 Bangladeshi jobseekers, who are due to enter that country soon.
Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the government is closely monitoring the issue.
"If necessary, the foreign minister and I will go to Malaysia and try to settle the matter," he said.
The Malaysian government has cancelled the visas in the context of the ongoing global financial crisis and the Bangladesh government could do little in this regard, he added.
"We will try to convince the Malaysian authority not to cancel the visas as they have already spent a substantial amount of money on this," Mr Mosharraf said.
The government has received a letter from Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia about the cancellation of the visas, he added.
In January, the Malaysian government slapped a ban on fresh recruitment of foreigners after a report forecast that 45,000 Malaysians were going to lose their jobs in the next few months.
"Foreign minister is observing the whole situation and in close contact with her counterpart in Malaysia," said director of ministry of foreign affairs Md. Nazrul Islam. She has instructed the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur to look after the workers, who have already gone to Malaysia, he said.
The Malaysian government has done this as the country is facing problem due to global recession, he added.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith said the government is attaching importance to the issue.
"We're looking into the issue with due importance," he said at the finance ministry.
"It'll have a negative impact on our economy," he said, adding that the ministries concerned were working on it as he had talks with them in this regard.
According to Malaysian news agency Bernama, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar Tuesday informed that all entry visas for Bangladeshi workers approved in 2007 and who had not entered the country have been cancelled immediately.
Speaking to reporters after his ministry's monthly assembly in Putrajaya, the administrative capital, he said the move was in line with the government's decision to not accept any new applications unless they were for critical sectors.
"The government has decided to cancel all entry visas for Bangladeshi workers wanting to enter the country."
"This is due to the current scenario in the country, in that there is no need for foreign labour, except for certain sectors identified by the government," he said.
Ghulam Mustafa, president of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira), termed the news unfortunate.
"We have got 55,000 visas, but those have been cancelled at a time, when the workers are in final stage to go to Kuala Lumpur," he said.
"Malaysian government had issued those calling visas because they needed workers," he told the FE.
Mustafa thinks 532 job seekers, who entered the country before the current development, should not be affected.
"We have already talked to foreign minister and expatriate welfare and overseas employment minister. They are trying their best. We have also requested the Malaysian government to review their decision, at least for those 532 jobseekers."
Malaysian Home Minister Syed Hamid, however, mentioned that the government would refund workers' levies paid by employers.
"The government gives assurance that the levy would be refunded in the near future and hopes the issue would not be politicised by certain quarters," Bernama quoted the home minister as saying.
He said this in response to a statement by Talat Mahmud Khan, labour counsellor at the Bangladeshi High Commission in Malaysia, for his comment on Sunday that more than 70,000 Bangladeshi workers would enter Malaysia soon to work in various sectors.
Correcting the figure, Syed Hamid said government entry-approval for the workers who had yet to enter the country but had not done so was for only 55,147 persons.
Malaysia is home to over 400,000 Bangladeshi workers, the Baira president informed.
Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the government is closely monitoring the issue.
"If necessary, the foreign minister and I will go to Malaysia and try to settle the matter," he said.
The Malaysian government has cancelled the visas in the context of the ongoing global financial crisis and the Bangladesh government could do little in this regard, he added.
"We will try to convince the Malaysian authority not to cancel the visas as they have already spent a substantial amount of money on this," Mr Mosharraf said.
The government has received a letter from Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia about the cancellation of the visas, he added.
In January, the Malaysian government slapped a ban on fresh recruitment of foreigners after a report forecast that 45,000 Malaysians were going to lose their jobs in the next few months.
"Foreign minister is observing the whole situation and in close contact with her counterpart in Malaysia," said director of ministry of foreign affairs Md. Nazrul Islam. She has instructed the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur to look after the workers, who have already gone to Malaysia, he said.
The Malaysian government has done this as the country is facing problem due to global recession, he added.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith said the government is attaching importance to the issue.
"We're looking into the issue with due importance," he said at the finance ministry.
"It'll have a negative impact on our economy," he said, adding that the ministries concerned were working on it as he had talks with them in this regard.
According to Malaysian news agency Bernama, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar Tuesday informed that all entry visas for Bangladeshi workers approved in 2007 and who had not entered the country have been cancelled immediately.
Speaking to reporters after his ministry's monthly assembly in Putrajaya, the administrative capital, he said the move was in line with the government's decision to not accept any new applications unless they were for critical sectors.
"The government has decided to cancel all entry visas for Bangladeshi workers wanting to enter the country."
"This is due to the current scenario in the country, in that there is no need for foreign labour, except for certain sectors identified by the government," he said.
Ghulam Mustafa, president of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira), termed the news unfortunate.
"We have got 55,000 visas, but those have been cancelled at a time, when the workers are in final stage to go to Kuala Lumpur," he said.
"Malaysian government had issued those calling visas because they needed workers," he told the FE.
Mustafa thinks 532 job seekers, who entered the country before the current development, should not be affected.
"We have already talked to foreign minister and expatriate welfare and overseas employment minister. They are trying their best. We have also requested the Malaysian government to review their decision, at least for those 532 jobseekers."
Malaysian Home Minister Syed Hamid, however, mentioned that the government would refund workers' levies paid by employers.
"The government gives assurance that the levy would be refunded in the near future and hopes the issue would not be politicised by certain quarters," Bernama quoted the home minister as saying.
He said this in response to a statement by Talat Mahmud Khan, labour counsellor at the Bangladeshi High Commission in Malaysia, for his comment on Sunday that more than 70,000 Bangladeshi workers would enter Malaysia soon to work in various sectors.
Correcting the figure, Syed Hamid said government entry-approval for the workers who had yet to enter the country but had not done so was for only 55,147 persons.
Malaysia is home to over 400,000 Bangladeshi workers, the Baira president informed.