The employers felt cheated because they have paid RM800 per head to the Kuala Lumpur-based agents, while the Myanmar workers, most of them are employed as helpers at eateries here, were unhappy that they had lost their jobs.
“We feel cheated because the agent told us two months ago that the workers are allowed to work in Malaysia. Now, they are telling us to let them go,” said a coffeeshop operator yesterday, who declined to be named.
One employer said that he did not have the heart to let the workers go.
“The two boys I hired are good, hardworking ones. If I let them go, they might resort to crime to make ends meet. I do not want these young boys to end up in jail.”
UNHCR spokesman Jennifer Pa-gonis said that 160 UNHCR cardholders were arrested in Malaysia in December and January.
She was quoted during a recent press briefing in Geneva as saying that Malaysian immigration authorities, who had in the past refrained from arresting UNHCR cardholders, had started doing so and detaining them since December.
An Immigration spokesman said they had received orders to take action against Myanmar nationals who were working in Malaysia without permit.
“This regulation is applicable to all foreigners working in Malaysia. They cannot work here without a permit,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment