Malaysia tightens migrant worker requirements

MALAYSIA: Malaysia will soon require migrant workers from several countries to pass a course on Malaysian law and culture before they can be issued work permits, news reports said Sunday.

Indonesians will have to attend the half-day course in their home country starting Nov. 15, while workers from India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka must do so from Apr. 1, 2007, Human Resources Minister Fong Chan Onn told reporters in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.

The course "is aimed at familiarizing foreign workers with Malaysian law and culture to minimize problems such as conflicts with employers," the minister was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times newspaper.

The course will outline basic Malay language, labor laws, health and safety procedures, as well as details on where foreign workers can seek help if they are mistreated, the reports said.

Some 1.8 million foreigners work legally in Malaysia, one of Southeast Asia's wealthiest nations, in addition to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who are employed without valid travel or work documents.

Kuala Lumpur, sunday, REUTERS