KUALA LUMPUR – Former PKR lawmaker R. Sivarasa has urged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to probe the agents responsible for bringing in Bangladeshi workers into the country.
This was despite the absence of available jobs for foreign workers in the country over the last three months.
In a post on social media, X today, he also called on the Immigration Department to cease treating the affected Bangladeshi workers as “criminals”, claiming that they violated the country’s immigration laws.
“These are victims of the errant agents who caused them to break laws (unknowingly). Immigration should find the agents responsible, prosecute them, and ensure serious penalties,” he said.
His comments were following reports of 171 Bangladeshi workers who claimed to have been cheated by their job agent after being spotted walking in droves around Kota Tinggi, Johor, recently.
The viral videos captured the workers walking toward a police station to file a report against their agents, shedding light on their plight.
Kota Tinggi police chief Hussin Zamora was reported as saying that these workers were legally brought into the country.
However, they have been jobless for the last three months since their arrival, he said.
Based on checks by the Immigration Department, these workers were between the ages of 19 and 43 and have been detained for further investigations under Section 15(1)(c) Immigration Act 1959/63. – December 25, 2023