Kaladan News

Date: Monday, July 12, 2004

One Burmese among 5 Illegal Workers Die in Malaysia

Chittagong, July 12: Four illegal foreign workers including a Burmese drowned and another died from a heart attack when they tried to flee from a police raid in northern Malaysia, a news report said on 10^th July.

Police recovered the bodies of two Indonesians and one Burmese national from a river on 9^th July and were searching for the body of fourth immigrant who drowned, the Star Newspaper reported in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Police also found the body of a Bangladeshi national who died of a heart attack in a neighborhood near the river. Othman Talib, Penang’s police chief said, “ Bangladeshi may have overexerted himself in trying to escape from the police raid.”

The five were believed to be among 15 illegal foreign workers who jumped in a river while trying to escape the raid at a construction site where they worked. The police chief further said 10 other illegal immigrants had been arrested.

Malaysia employs hundreds of thousands of migrant workers from neighboring countries, especially Indonesia and relies heavily on them for unskilled tasks in construction and other labor-intensive industries.

There are more illegal workers from Burma working in rubber plantations and other unskilled works. It is very difficult to pass custody life in Malaysia than other neighboring countries. Therefore, illegal foreign workers never want to be arrested at the hands of Malaysian police, said a returnee from Malaysia.

But increasing ethnic clash and crime involving foreign laborers in recent years has provoked Malaysia to make mass deportations of illegal immigrants and institute more stringent entry requirements. ##

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