PUTRAJAYA, May 14 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Bangladesh will be signing a
memmorandum of understanding (MoU) to combat human trafficking between the two
countries so that innocent people are not exploited, said Home Minister Datuk
Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.
"The MoU will be signed soon after both countries create a mechanism at the
operational level whereby political will between Malaysia and Bangladesh can be
translated into an action plan involving the respective authorities," he said.
The MoU was hoped could also help combat other related crimes like money
laundering, drugs and weapons smuggling, he told reporters after receiving a
courtesy call from Bangladesh''s Minister of Expatriates Welfare and
Overseas Employment of Bangladeshis, Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, here today.
Hishammuddin said ties between the two countries would be cemented further
as Bangladesh supplied the highest number of foreign workers to serve in various
sectors in Malaysia including construction, agriculture and services.
He also said Malaysia and Bangladesh had worked closely during Malaysia''s 6P
foreign worker amnesty programme particularly during the registration and
legalisation exercises.
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HISHAMMUDDIN-BANGLADESH 2 (LAST) PUTRAJAYA
"It a testimony of a strategic partnership between Malaysia as a labour
recipient country and Bangladesh as a labour sending country," he added.
Hishammuddin said under the 6P Programme, Bangladesh nationals were the
second largest foreign workforce registered, numbering 400,000.
He said this kind of cooperation was pivotal to ensure orderly movement of
people particularly foreign workers into Malaysia including from Bangladesh as
well as ensuring that foreign workers in this country would not be exploited or
taken advantage of by unscrupulous individual or agents.
He added that the Bangladesh government also hoped that the sending of
foreign workers from the country could be on a government-to-government basis to
avoid involvement of middlemen.
-- BERNAMA
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