62,156 children, teens registered under 6P programme

By The Sundaily

PUTRAJAYA (Sept 12, 2011): A total of 62,156 children and teenagers 18 years old and below have been registered during the foreign workers biometric registration stage which ended on Aug 31.

The biometric registration stage is part of the government’s 6P programme to build a database and control the influx of foreign workers into the country.

“Based on the statistics given by the Immigration Department, 40,500 of these children are aged 12 and below and 21,656 are between the ages of 13 and 18 years old. We believe most of them are the dependents and wards of the workers.

“We are also not putting off the possibility that these children are working for certain unscrupulous employers. These kids could also be exploited by the human trafficking syndicates.

We’re still in the midst of studying their real status as it is against government policy to employ underaged children or for foreign workers to bring them into the country,” Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein told a press conference today.

When asked whether these children were born in Malaysia, Hishammuddin said a more detailed study needs to be done, adding that this data is from those who voluntarily registered as “there could be more unregistered illegal foreign workers in the country.”

The Immigration Department’s numbers also showed that 1,015,852 illegal foreign workers want to work in Malaysia and only 95,446 illegal foreign workers want to return home.

The statistics also shows that 966,542 are already illegally employed while 257,524 are unemployed.

Hishammuddin said the ministry was also investigating unscrupulous companies, which had the licence to help manage the biometric registration process, for allegedly bringing in foreign stakeholders and directors who have “their own agenda.”

“We have identified a few companies who were given the responsibility to aid us but have taken advantage of the situation and we are investigating them. These companies might have foreign interests in them, making them a foreign interest cat's paw.

“Some of these companies brought in foreign stakeholders or directors and they might have their own foreign agenda. Some of them have taken money early, some have taken more money, some of them have abused their privileges. There are also those that brought in these foreigners to link up with other foreigners.

“We are micro-managing the 6P programme. Don’t think I don’t know what is going on,” said Hishammuddin, adding that in the long run, the human trafficking problem must be seen from a bigger context of money laundering, drug smuggling and terrorism.

Touching on the Malaysia-Australia refugee swap, he also said that Malaysia is on the right track in light of Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s decision to amend the law in light of their High Court’s decision not to send the first batch of refugees to Malaysia.

“This is about Australian law, Australian court and Australian decision. Prime Minister Gillard has stated her intention to amend the law. This means that we are on the right track.

"As I’ve said before, we respect Australian law. And if their court decision is made based on their law and yet they make the decision to amend the law, it shows that we’re on the right track,” said Hishammuddin.