Only 42,309 refugees from Burma in Malaysia - Are you kidding? Estimated about 500,000 undocumented peoples of Burma in Malaysia.

There is about 500,000 to 700,000 undocumented migrants from Burma in Malaysia. And many of these are in fact 'refugees' - but alas UNHCR is extremely slow in carrying out its work.

Maybe, the government of Malaysia ( or the UNHCR) must presume that all from Burma are refugees and give then the necessary cards. Later, there can be deeper investigations, and if the investigations reveal that this person is not a refugee, an asylum seeker or a 'person of concern' - then remove hpis/her name.

How many Shans have refugee status? The 2 biggest ethnic groups of Burma (now known as Myanmar) are the Burmans and the Shan - and I wonder why the UNHCR does not give us statistics as to how many Burmans have refugee status...how many Shan have refugee status?

As of end March 2009, there are some 47,600 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR in Malaysia.42,309 are from Myanmar, comprising some 15,200 Rohingyas from the Northern Rakhine State of Myanmar, 15,800 Chins, 4,000 Myanmar Muslims and the remaining are other ethnic minorities from Myanmar.

There are some 5,280 refugees and asylum-seekers from other countries, including some 2,450 Sri Lankans, 700 Somalis, 555 Iraqis and 550 Afghans.

66% of refugees and asylum-seekers are men, while 34% are women. There are some 14,200 children below the age of 18. - UNHCR Malaysia Website

Shan People of Burma - I wonder why the UNHCR is not giving the Shan refugee status? A big mystery, which the UNHCR need to give us the reason for its actions. Is UNHCR biased against certain ethnic groups?

Myanmar has about 130 ethnic groups.and there are real differences between them. The main groups are the Burmese, the Shan, the Mon or Talaing, the Karen, the Chin, the Kachin, the Salon and other.Of Myanmar people the Burmese are the largest group. Of the Myanmar ethnic groups the smallest and most backward are the Salon People, who inhabit the islands off the southern coast, mainly in the Mergui or Myeik archipelago, further south in Thailand they are called Moken.

Malaysians believe that they are masters, and domestic workers their 'slaves'...

The inhumanity of Malaysians who employ domestic workers is shocking

They force these domestic workers to work long hours (longer than 8 hours per day...), sometimes even 24 hours - but there is no overtime. Sadly, many of these employers of domestic workers are workers themselves - and they would have protested strongly if they were forced to work such long hours. They would have demanded their overtime rates (1.5 times the normal rate).

We do not need the domestic worker all the time - and maybe, employers should assign the hours of work making sure that the total number of working hours do not exceed 8 hours per day (or 48 hours per week). If you require your domestic worker to work for longer hours - it will be just to get the worker's consent and also pay her 'overtime'..

One day off per week - this is already in the Immigration Department Agreenment Form for Domestic Workers - but alas, many domestic workers do not get their one day off per week.

Sadly, the government has also failed to come up with a clear law that provides clearly that domestic workers are entitled to one day off per week..

Remember, they are not slaves - you pay them a wage and they work for you. They are workers, and like any other worker, their rights must be respected...

Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) wants the government to declare a compulsory weekly day off for domestic workers to enable them to go to the Labour Department in case they need to report any mistreatment.

Referring to the case of Indonesian maid Siti Hajar who calimed that she was abused by her employer for the past three years, MTUC secretary-general G. Rajasekaran said this measure must be taken due to the rising reports of abuse, torture and inhumane treatment among foreign domestic workers.

"Compelling domestic workers to work 16 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year is not illegal," he said, adding that this group of workers, numbering more than 300,000 throughout the country, were also not entitled to any legal protection.

"The only protection the workers have is that they can go to the Labour Department to complain about non-payment of monthly salaries, but without a weekly day off they are denied free movement," he said in a statement here Tuesday.

He urged the Human Resources Ministry not to turn a blind eye to these reports as thousands of foreign domestic workers in the country were made to endure beatings, poor living conditions, and suffer in silence.

Siti Hajar, 33, from west Java, who could no longer stand the abuses, fled from her employer's residence in Lanai Kiara Kondominium, Mount Kiara, yesterday.

She also claimed that she had not been paid any salary since the first month of her employment and the total salary due to her now stands at RM17,000.

The Indonesian ambassador here, Tan Sri Da'i Bactiar, told reporters yesterday that Siti Hajar was not only beaten but was only fed plain rice and occasionally with pork. - Bernama, 9/6/2009, Compulsory Weekly Day Off For Domestic Workers

746 workers died in industrial accidents in Malaysia in 2008

Recently, we had 7 workers who died during the former Jaya Supermarket demolition accident. Later, it was revealed that the said employer did not have the necessary approval of the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH).

Now, it has been revealed that in 2008, there were 44,918 industrial accidents, and 746 workers died. This is unacceptable.

No information have been provided as to whether action have been taken against the negligent parties.

No information as to whether these workers and/or their dependents have received their compensation under the SOCSO (for local workers) and Workmen's Compensation (for foreign workers).

How many foreign workers died? Did their dependents receive their compensation?

The 'secretive' maner of reporting makes us wonder whether the 7 who died at the recent Jaya Supermarket incident were documented or undocumented workers. Were they registered workers - entitled to the SOCSO/Workmen's Compensation?

Should undocumented (or 'illegal' ) workers be entitled to receive the compensation provided for under these social security schemes/insurances when they meet with an industrial accident or die as a result of this accident? YES - reasonably and justly they should get their due compensation.

Mr Minister, tell us more and re-affirm us that these undocumented workers also get the said compensation when they are victims of industrial accidents.

There were 44,918 accidents at the work place in the country for the whole of last year with 746 fatal cases.

The Deputy Minister of Human Resources, Datuk Maznah Mazlan, said the figure was quite high and the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) would intensify efforts to reduce the rate.

She said the DOSH was responsible in ensuring that employers implemented and complied with all the guidance and procedures on safety and health at the work place.

The ministry noted that many employers were still neglecting the aspects of safety at the work place and were reluctant to register with the DOSH, she said.

"For example, out of the total of 215 estates and plantations in Negeri Sembilan, only 126 were registered with the DOSH," she told reporters after opening the seminar on occupational safety and health in the agricultural and livestock breeding sectors organised by the DOSH, Negeri Sembilan at the Industrial Training Institute, Pedas, near here today.

Maznah said most of the industrial accidents involved the manufacturing and agricultural sectors.- Bernama, 28/5/2009, Rate Of Industrial Accidents Still High

What are the laws that cover workers when it comes to industrial accidents (including travel to and from the workplace)? Here is just some brief general points, that I found from the Port Klang Free Zone website

Two compensation schemes provided for local and foreign workers are as follows:

1. Social Security Organisation (SOCSO):

• Administers the Employment Injury Insurance Scheme and the Invalidity Pension Scheme provided under the Employees' Social Security Act 1969. Socso only covers Malaysian workers and permanent residents.
• All establishments, including factories, employing workers earning wages not exceeding RM2,000 a month are required to insure their workers under the two social security schemes.
• The Employment Injury Insurance Scheme provides employees with coverage by way of cash benefits and medical care in the event of any disablement or death due to employment injury. Only the employer pays the contribution of about 1.25% of the employees' monthly wages.
• The Invalidity Pension Scheme provides 24-hour coverage to employees against invalidity and death due to any cause before attaining the age of 55 years. The 1% monthly contribution is shared equally between the employer and employee.

2. Foreign Workers' Compensation Plan (FWCP) - Malaysia

• The Workmen's Compensation Act 1952 administered by the Department of Labour provides for the payment of compensation to workmen in the event of injuries arising from their employment. Where fatalities occur, the Act provides for the payment of compensation to the workers' dependants.
• The Act covers private sector workers who earn less than RM500 a month and all manual workers irrespective of their wages.
• Malaysian and permanent residents who are covered by SOCSO are NOT covered by this Act.
• All foreign workers come under the purview of the Act in respect of compensation for employment injury as well as non-employment injury via the Workmen's Compensation (Foreign Workers' Compensation Scheme) (Insurance) Order 1998.
• Under Section 26(2) of the Amended Act 1996 of Workmen's Compensation Act 1952, it is mandatory for every employer to insure all the foreign workers employed by him under an approved insurance scheme in respect of any liability he may incur.

Migrants from Burma Working In Thailand and Malaysia (Joint Statement - 9/6/2009)

JOINT STATEMENT of Migrants from Burma
Working In Thailand and Malaysia
June 9 2009

We, migrants from Burma, live in a perpetual state of crisis and the global economic crisis is further adding to our difficult and sometimes desperate situation

We, migrants from Burma and migrant support groups, trade union leaders and human rights activists and lawyers from Thailand and Malaysia, met and discussed the impact of the global economic crisis on Burmese migrant workers at the 2^nd Two Destinations One Origin Conference organized jointly by MAP Foundation (Thailand), Workers Hub for Change (WH4C) and Network of Action for Migrants in Malaysia (NAMM). We are concerned that Burmese migrants live in a perpetual state of crisis and that the global economic crisis is further adding to their difficult and sometimes desperate situation. We therefore appeal to the governments of Malaysia, Thailand and the ASEAN on the following issues.

We are concerned that Thailand and Malaysia governments’ response to the situation of workers affected by the economic crisis has not been comprehensive and does not provide adequate protection for workers. Migrant workers are not even included in these programs and are thus expected to deal with the impact of the economic crisis by themselves.We call on the Malaysian government to immediately stop the unjust, discriminatory and unconstitutional policy and practice, known as ‘Foreign Workers First Out’ (FWFO) principle. According to this policy migrant workers lose their jobs before local workers regardless of length of time in the job.

We call on Malaysia and Thailand to demand that all employers fulfill their contractual agreements with regard to all workers, including foreign workers. Employers must not use the economic crisis as an excuse to dismiss workers or close down factories without adequate notice to the workers. Mechanisms should be put in place to ensure that employers pay workers adequate and just compensation for any early termination of employment agreement.

The social protections provided during these times of economic crisis to retrenched workers which include payment of 50% of salary for six months in Thailand and re-training and new job placements in Malaysia should be extended to cover all workers including migrant workers.

We ask the governments to ensure that employers of migrant workers bear all the costs of employing migrant workers. Employers in Malaysia should not make deductions from migrants wages to cover the levy that employers have to pay. Employers in Thailand should not make deductions from migrants wages to cover the registration fee that employers have to pay. The only permissible deductions should be with regards to social security schemes for workers.

We are deeply concerned that all workers wages are falling below a living wage. For migrants the impact of a further reduction may have severe repercussions on the well-being of the workers and their families in Burma who rely on these wages for survival and for settling the debts incurred in the migration process.

Burmese migrants in both Malaysia and Thailand have reported accidents in the workplace due to the sub-standard occupational health and safety standards and enforcement. We call for the governments of Thailand and Malaysia to ensure that employers do not take shortcuts on matters concerning health and safety of workers and to facilitate migrants’ access to the legal mechanisms to receive compensation when accidents do occur. Migrants should also have the freedom of association.

Thailand and Malaysia’s health systems are trying to cope with new and different health issues such as H1NI, Chirkungya, Leptospirosis and Avian flu. In these times of economic crisis, it is imperative that no sector of society be excluded from the right to health. We call on the Thai and Malaysia government to set up effective national free universal health care systems without exceptions, and to work closely with migrant communities for health promotion.

The future of our region depends on the education of the children, and the children of migrant workers must be included in this future. We call for the governments of Malaysia and Thailand to support the education of migrant children in both formal and non-formal education systems.

All migrants have a precarious legal status in Malaysia and Thailand. The majority of migrants are completely undocumented while those with legal or semi-legal status too easily lose their status. Migrants can become illegal by reason of poor policy and practice, by negligence on the part of government officials, by irresponsible actions of the employers or when the migrants attempt to fight for their rights.

Consequently all migrants risk arrest, detention and deportation or threats thereof. We are deeply concerned about the recent reports of deaths of migrants in detention in Malaysia, deaths which could have been avoided with proper access to health care.

Due to the on-going multiple crises in Burma at the hands of an illegal regime, migrants from Burma are forced to leave the country without any preparation, information, safety or documents. The governments of Thailand and Malaysia need to recognize and respond to this reality and ensure that Burmese migrants are not criminalized.

In Thailand, the new registration is a welcome move however we are concerned that forcing migrants to work only within one sector is contrary to all labour rights principles.

We therefore call on Malaysia and Thailand to devise programs which protect the rights of migrants and ensure that migrants can exercise their labour, social, cultural, economic and political rights.

Lastly, we call on the ASEAN and its member nations to abandon their constructive engagement policy with the Burmese regime which only serves to prolong the injustice in Burma.


For further information please contact:

Network of Action for Migrants in Malaysia (NAMM): Ms Pranom Somwong (+6019 2371300)
MAP Foundation: Ms Jackie Pollock (+66860904118; twodestinations@yahoo.com)

Bringing back Malaysians in prisons to serve remaining sentence in Malaysian prisons is wrong...

What does 'Equality' mean? Equality means also

All these talks about sending foreign prisoners back to their country to spend their remaining prison terms in the prisons of their respective is utter nonsense - and it goes against the principal of equality.

Will prisons in their home country be better or worse of than Malaysian prisons? This certainly throws the guarantee of 'equality' that we have in our Federal Constitution..

What about their right of appeal? Remember, in Malaysia there is 2 rights of appeal. So, will a foreign prisoner be deprived of that right because now he is half way across the world in a prison of his country.

Good behaviour in prison whilst serving your sentence results in early release - a shortening of your prison sentence. Will the prisoner - now sent to a prison in some other country be accorded this right?

A person commits a crime in Malaysia - he is tried by a Malaysian Court and he is thereafter sentenced to prison for a certain term, and that is why he must serve his time inj prison here in Malaysia, and have full access to all rights accorded to a prisoner in Malaysia.

It may not even be an offence in his home country - and it will be quite odd for him to be serving time in a prison in his country.

The same offence may invite a different sentence in his home country (compared to the sentenced imposed by law in Malaysia).

YDP Agung wants to pardon some prisoners (will that Burmese in Malaysian prisons before BUT now serving his time in a Burmese prison) be even considered...

After all we are talking about Malaysian prisoners - convicted by Malaysian courts...sentenced in accordance to Malaysian laws... (The same argument applies for Malaysian prisoners whom the government will bring back to serve their sentences here in Malaysian prisons...)

Really, our home Minister must study the matter further (or just withdraw this suggestion of his), for I fear that putting his ideas into practice would not only be against the constitutionally guaranteed equality in Mallaysia, but may also be unjust and against human rights...

Malaysians in prisons overseas will soon be able to serve out their sentences at home as laws for a prison transfer programme are being drafted, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

He said the programme which would be put in place with the amendment to the Prison Act would also allow foreign inmates in Malaysian prisons to serve their sentences in their respective home countries.

Friendly couple: Hishammuddin (right) and his wife Datin Seri Tengku Marsilla Tengku Abdullah chatting with Sabah Prisons Department staff members after the launch of the new building of the Sabah Prisons headquarters in Kota Kinabalu yesterday.

Foreign prisoners made up over 40% or 15,279 of the 37,242 inmates in 30 prisons nationwide.

“We hope this move will not only allow us to bring back our people in foreign prisons, but also overcome the problem of overcrowding in ours,” he said at the opening of the RM7.6mil new Sabah Prisons Department headquarters in Kepayan here yesterday.

Hishammuddin said the Home Ministry was also looking at various other ways to tackle overcrowding problem.

This, he said, included the expansion of the parole system which was introduced in July last year and introducing alternative sentences which did not require imprisonment for minor offences and those who contravene the Immigration Act.

“This is part of our overall plan to reform all the laws under us to meet the current need,” he said.

He said the Government had also approved the plan to build 16 new prisons nationwide with a holding capacity of 18,000.

The total holding capacity of all prisons nationwide currently stands at 32,000.

He added that steps were being taken to provide vocational and skills training under the integrated school concept in prisons and Henry Gurney School, which is a juvenile detention facility.

“We want to stress on rehabilitation programmes in our detention centres so that prisoners, especially young criminals can learn new skills to prepare them for lives outside the prison once they are released,” he said. - Star, 9/6/2009,Government drafting prisoner exchange laws

Migrant Rights International(MRI) makes it 126 groups concerned about healthcare in detention places - 2 died of Leptospirosis

Joint Statement - 23/5/2009

* The Joint Statement was also handed over to SUHAKAM on 25/5/2009, and received by HR Commissioner Khoo Kay Kim.
* The Statement was also send to the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the Health Minister.

DEATH OF 2 BURMESE INDICATIVE OF STATE OF DETENTION PLACES IN MALAYSIA

DENIAL OF HEALTHCARE IS A VIOLATION OF RIGHT TO LIFE

We, the undersigned, are alarmed to hear that Sa La Hin, 26, and Thang Hoih Ping, 21, two Burmese migrants, have died in the Malaysia’s Juru Immigration Detention Centre from Leptospirosis. This is disease that is usually caused by exposure to water contaminated with the urine of infected animals, such as rodents, cattle, pigs, horses, dogs and wild animals. The fact, that 2 persons are dead and others have been infected by this disease, again highlights the state of hygiene, cleanliness and healthcare at Malaysian Detention Centres.

We recall that it was reported in the media in December 2008, that "About 1,300 illegal foreigners have died during detention in the past six years, Malaysia Nanban quoted Malaysian Human Rights (Suhakam) commissioner Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam as saying. He said many of them died in immigration detention centres, prisons and police lockups because they were denied medical treatment at the right time.” [Star, 18/12/2008, ‘1,300 foreign detainees died due to neglect’]. Now, Sa La Hin and Thang Hoih Ping may just be the latest additions to that list of detainees that died due to similar reasons.

We also recall the words of SUHAKAM in their response to the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) dated 13/1/2009, that correctly stated that ‘…SUHAKAM views the denial of medical attention to the point of endangering one’s life as a serious violation of that person’s right to life….’

These deaths may have been avoided if medical attention was provided promptly, and we call for an independent public inquiry to determine whether there was such negligence on the part of the Ikatan Relawan Rakyat or better known as RELA (a People's Volunteer Corps), and the Immigration officers, who are currently responsible for Immigration Detention Centres in Malaysia.

We do appreciate the fact that the Director General of Immigration has now decided that ‘cleanliness and hygiene at immigration depots nationwide are to be stepped-up to ensure safety of staff and inmates there against contracting infectious diseases’ (Bernama, 19/5/2009, Cleanliness, Hygiene at Immigration Depot to Be Stepped Up).

We hope that this is not merely a knee-jerk response, which is temporary in nature, but a new and permanent commitment by Malaysia to improve standards and conditions of Detention Centres and other places of detention.

The current once a week visit by a medical officer to the Detention Centres is certainly inadequate. There should be, at the very least, a permanent clinic/dispensary manned by a medical assistant, with a doctor visiting detainees for several hours at least once every two days or more frequently.

New users of the Detention facility should also be determined free from easily transmittable diseases like Tuberculosis and the A(H1N1) flu before being introduced to the general population of detention places.

There should also be regular visits by the Health Officer, who shall monitor the conditions, including of the living and sleeping environment, of the Detention Centre to ensure that it meets the highest standards of hygiene and cleanliness.

The foods, and all aspects of food preparation, also need to be monitored by the Health Department especially since there is a possibility that the fault in the recent deaths could be the current caterer of food and drink.

With regard to those who have died, we are of the opinion that their family and/or dependents should be given adequate compensation by the persons responsible, the detaining authority and the Malaysian government.

Officers and persons responsible for the acts or omissions that resulted in death and suffering should be charged and prosecuted for these crimes. They should not be permitted to hide behind safeguards provided to public servants and/or the RELA volunteers, which unfortunately only promotes culture of impunity with no sense of responsibility and respect for human life.

We, the undersigned, call on the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) to immediately commence a public inquiry into these deaths and detention places generally, and come up with concrete recommendations which could be implemented that will improve state of cleanliness, hygiene and healthcare of all detention places in Malaysia.

We are also call upon the Ministry of Health and the government of Malaysia to take necessary steps to ensure that proper steps be taken to ensure that such disregard for life does not happen again.

We reiterate the call for the abolition of RELA, and restate our position that law enforcement, and management of detention places should be done by professionally trained full-time public servants, not volunteers.

Charles Hector
Pranom Somwong


For and on behalf of the 126 organizations/ groups listed below:-

Action for Health Initiatives (ACHIEVE), Inc, Philippines

Action Network for Migrants (ANM), Thailand

All Women's Action Society (AWAM), Malaysia

Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma

Asia Pacific Forum on Women Law and Development (APWLD)

Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM), Hong Kong

Asia-Pacific Solidarity Coalition (APSOC)

Asia Pacific Workers Solidarity Link (APWSL), Korea

Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)

Asian Migrants' Coordinating Body - Hong Kong (AMCB-HK)

Assistance Association for Political Prisoners ( Burma )-AAPP

Association of Indonesian Migrant Workers (Asosiasi Tenaga Kerja Indonesia )

Bahrain Center for Human Rights

Bar Council Human Rights Committee , Malaysia

Bar Council's Legal Aid Centre , Malaysia

BAYAN USA

Building and Wood Workers International, Asia Pacific Regional Office

Burma Campaign Australia

Burma Campaign , Malaysia

Burma Campaign UK

Burma Centre Delhi (BCD)

Burma's Nationalities Association (BNA)- Norway

Burma Partnership

Cambodian Women's Crisis Center , Cambodia

Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB)

CDS (Community Development Services), Sri Lanka

Center for Migrant Advocacy, Philippines

Center for Indonesian Migrant Workers - CIMW – Indonesia

Center for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC), Malaysia

Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS), Malaysia

Chin Human Rights Organization

Civil Society Committee of LLG Cultural Development Centre (LLGCSC) Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach ( USA )

Commission For Filipino Migrant Workers (CFMW) - The Netherlands

Committee for Asian Women (CAW)

Coordination of Action Research on AIDS & Mobility (CARAM - Asia )

Democratic Party for a New Society (DPNS), Burma

Development Action for Women Network (DAWN), Philippines

Empower Foundation, Thailand

Ethnic Nationalities Council

Federation of Trade Unions - Burma

FIDH - International Federation for Human Rights

Filipino Migrant Workers' Union - Hong Kong (FMWU)

Forum for Democracy in Burma

Foundation for Education and Development (Formerly, Grassroots HRE ( Burma )

Free Burma Coalition - Philippines (FBC-Phils)

Free Burma Campaign , South Africa

Friends of Burma , Malaysia

Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW)

HAKAM - National Human Rights Society , Malaysia

Health Equity Initiatives, Malaysia

H.O.M.E. (Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics), Singapore

Hope Workers’ Center , Taiwan

HRWG - Indonesia 's NGO Coalition for International Advocacy

Hsinchu Catholic Diocese Migrants and New Immigrants Service Center , Taiwan

Human Rights Foundation of Monland

IMPARSIAL, the Indonesia Human Rights Monitor, Jakarta – Indonesia

INFID (International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development)

Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID)

Institute for National and Democratic Studies ( INDIES )

International Migrant Foundation-Banglade sh

Kachin Women's Association Thailand

KAFIN Migrant Center, Japan

KAFIN - Saitama , Japan

Kayan National Development Foundation (KNDF)

Khmer Kampuchea Krom Human rights Organisation (KKKHRO), Cambodia

Labornet Korea

Labour Resource Centre , Malaysia

Legal Support for Children and Women (LSCW), Cambodia

LHRLA (Lawyers for Human Rights & Legal Aid), Pakistan

MADPET (Malaysians against Death Penalty and Torture)

Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC)

Mekong Migration Network (MMN)

Migrant CARE, Perhimpunan Indonesia untuk Buruh Migran Berdaulat

Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA)

Migrant Rights International (MRI)

MIGRANTE Europe

MIGRANTE Middle East

MIGRANTE International

MIGRANTE - Nagoya

MIGRANTE - UAE

Mindanao Migrants Center for Empowering Actions, Inc. (MMCEAI)

Myanmar Ethnic Rohingyas Human Rights Organization Malaysia (MERHROM)

National Democratic Party for Human Rights(NDPHR) (exile),SEA Regional Office

National League for Democracy [NLD (LA)], Malaysia

National Institute for Electoral Integrity (NIEI), Malaysia

National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, U.S.

Network for Democracy and Development, Thailand

Network of Action for Migrants in Malaysia (NAMM)

New Zealand Burma Support Group

NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines

OKUP (Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program), Bangladesh

Osan Migrant Workers Center in South Korea

Overseas Mon Coordinating Committee (OMCC)

Pakistan Rural Workers Social; Welfare Organization

Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF)

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)

Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM)

Peoples Service Organization (PSO), Malaysia

Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangot (EMPOWER)

Persatuan Masyarakat Selangor & Wilayah Persekutuan (PERMAS), Malaysia

Persatuan Sahabat Wanita, Selangor


Platform of Filipino Migrant Organisations in Europe - The Netherlands

POURAKHI, Nepal

Pusat KOMAS, Malaysia

Raks Thai Foundation , Thailand

Rohingya Youth Development Forum (RYDF), Malaysia

Shan Refugee Organization Malaysia (SRO)

Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN)

Shwe Gas Movement

Solidaritas Perempuan, Indonesia

St. John's Cathedral HIV Education Centre, Hong Kong

Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM)

Tenaganita, Malaysia

The Foundation for the Health and Knowledge of Ethnic Labour (MAP)

The Justice, Peace & Solidarity in Mission Office, The Good Shepherd Sisters

The Micah Mandate

Transient Workers Count Too, Singapore

United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-MIGRANTE- HK)

U.S. Campaign for Burma

WARBE Development Foundation - Bangladesh

Women's Aid Organisation (WAO), Malaysia

Women's League of Burma

Workers Hub for Change (WH4C)

Yaung Chi Oo Workers Association (YCOWA), Thailand



* For further information, please contact Charles Hector (chef@tm.net. my) or Pranom Somwong (Bee) (p_somwong@yahoo. com) at 019-2371 300

90% estates in Malaysia fails to meet Occupational Safety and Health standards ...

It is workers that we must be concerned about - and it is shocking to find out that now 90% of the estates in Malaysia have failed Occupational Safety and Health Department's safety level.

Will the government take action against these employers? Or will be waiting for the serious industrial accidents that result in serious injury or even death...

Only 50 out of the 581 estates audited by the Occupational Safety and Health Department passed the safety level set by the Human Resources MInistry.

Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said the figure was worrying as there were more than 3,000 estates in the country.

“We are worried but we are doing something to improve the figure,” he told reporters after launching an occupational safety and health carnival at the Seri Intan Estate yesterday.

Dr Subramaniam said among others, the ministry would conduct regular audits and hold more carnivals on occupational safety and health issues.

He also urged estate workers to assume more responsibility for their own safety, adding that sometimes they did not bother to use the safety equipment supplied to them by their employers.

He said the cases of reported industrial accidents had also declined from 58,365 in 2004 to 44,918 last year, with manufacturing, construction and agriculture recording the highest number. - Star, 24/5/2009, 90% of audited estates found to be ‘unsafe’

Rights of foreeign spouses of MALAYSIANS being highlighted again

Foreigners married to Malaysians should be treated equally as locals and be recognised as a part of our society, said Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun.

“It is ridiculous for pregnant foreign wives to pay double the medical fees when they are giving birth to Malaysian children,” she said after attending a forum and workshop on foreign spouses in Malaysia, organised by Wanita MCA and the Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research here yesterday.

She said the party and the Women’s Aid Organisation had received requests from foreign spouses to help them obtain citizenship and permanent resident status.

MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong said he had dealt with cases of foreigners who were forced to return to their home country because their Malaysian husbands wanted to divorce them.

He would be presenting some solutions to Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein. - Star, 6/6/2009, Treat foreign wives equally, says Chew

See also older posts:-

Are foreign spouses now being discriminated based on their nationality?

Maybe 100,000 foreign spouses - but only 8,600 given Entry Permits in last 7 years

Foreign spouses should get PR status on registration of marriage

What happens when an undocumented migrant is robbed, beaten-up, raped?

What happens when an undocumented migrant is robbed, beaten-up, raped?

Can they go make a police report?

Many victims of crime are afraid that when they do go and make a report - it is they, the victims, who may end up getting arrested, detained and deported - because they are 'undocumented'?

Victims of crime get no justice - from the frying pan, they just end up in the fire..

And...the perpetrators of these crimes just get away scot free.

Victims of crime should have the ability to go report the crime - and be not persecuted by reason of their legal status in Malaysia...

Are we more racist now? Are the young or the old more 'racist' in Malaysia?

When I was growing up in the 70s, my best friends were Khairul Annuar and Ng Kok Leong - and there was not much of 'racism' then. We used to have cakes and curries being taken over to our Muslim and Buddhist neighbours - and they sending over food as well. I remember spending hours and hours in my neighbours homes - and was treated as one of the family - not as an Indian - a Christian. We saw people then as human beings...

Today, even when I call my Muslim friends over - there is some hesistancy about even dropping by - let alone having a drink using a glass. Now, many Muslim visitors insist one being served canned drinks or packet drinks. I see also that students in my town now seems to be only hanging around with persons from the same ethnic same religious background..

Is ethnicity and religion today become more a cause of division amongst Malaysia - Maybe it has. What with UMNO's Hishamudin's Kris yielding - and even Najib's racist/religious extreme behavior in 1987 - I am sure that Malaysians are maybe becoming more and more conscious about the differences.

Is it only BN that is promoting this ethnicism and division - not really, PKR also does that. I know that it was a PKR policy that where there is a big Malay majority, they will not field a non-Malay candidate in that constituency, and that I consider to be racist. Why should in matter how many Indians, Chinese, Ibans and/or Malays there are in a particular constituency - are they all not Malaysians, and should we not be worriend just about the best candidate for this Malaysian constituency. Race, religion,etc should never be a consideration...How many good people are side-lined because of their ethnicity or their religion?

I look for the day when people will stop saying we need to get a Malay chairperson/President - and just say we must get the best person to be the chairperson/President?

Your comments and sharing would be good..