KUALA LUMPUR — The Human Resources Ministry (MOHR) will be calling up the employer and agency involved with the recruitment of 171 foreign workers from Bangladesh after failing to obtain jobs, three months after entering the country.
In a tweet, today, minister Steven Sim said a thorough investigation will be conducted this week, adding that MOHR will assist the affected workers to obtain proper employment.
“(Home Minister Datuk Seri) Saifuddin Nasution and I will review policy. For the Johor case, (the) employer involved will be called up this week for investigation.
“MOHR will assist job placement for workers.
“I stress, the hiring of migrant workforce is to support businesses and should not be a business in itself,” he said.
Sim’s response comes after police arrested hundreds of foreign workers who claimed to have been cheated by their job agent after being spotted walking in droves around Kota Tinggi, Johor, recently.
The video of the workers walking along the roadside went viral recently, triggering various reactions from netizens, who were mostly concerned about public safety.
The incident occurred on Wednesday (December 20) morning, after hundreds of Bangladeshis were spotted walking on foot at the entrance of Teluk Ramunia Bayu Damai.
“Following checks by the Immigration Department, 171 Bangladeshi nationals aged between 19 to 43 were detained for further investigations under Section 15(1)(c) Immigration Act 1959/63.
All 171 workers were sent to the Setia Tropika Immigration Department in Johor Bahru for further investigations. — December 26, 2023