22 News THE MYANMAR TIMES JULY 8- 14, 2013
22 News THE MYANMAR TIMES JULY 8- 14, 2013
Government pledges to help legalise migrants in Malaysia
WIN KO KO LATT winkolatt2012 @ gmail. com NOE NOE AUNG noenoeag @ gmail. com
MYANMAR will negotiate with Malaysia to enable hundreds of thousands of illegal migrant workers to live in the country within the law, Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security U Maung Myint said last month.
Between 60,000 and 70,000 migrant workers are living legally in Malaysia, while more than 200,000 are thought to have overstayed their visas in the country and are living illegally.
The issue has recently been thrust into the spotlight by violence in Malaysia between Buddhists and Muslims from Myanmar that has prompted fears for the safety of migrant workers in the Muslim country.
A number of the Myanmar’ s largest companies, including Htoo Group, Max Myanmar Group and Kanbawza Group, have offered to help bring migrant workers home from Malaysia.
U Paw Myint Oo, chief executive of Htoo Foundation, the charitable arm of Htoo Group, said the company had set aside US $ 100,000 to help migrants in Malaysia, offering to bring them back to Myanmar for free.
“ We will increase this initial amount if we need more. We have not set a time limit for bringing migrants back for free,” he said.
Union Minister U Maung Myint told reporters in Nay Pyi Taw that the
Myanmar migrant workers speak to the media after arriving at Yangon International Airport from Malaysia on June 22. Photo: Boothee
ministry is helping to coordinate contributions from donors, who he said want to help those who cannot afford to return to Myanmar.
“ The Union Solidarity and Development Party donated K20 million and Super Coffee Mix company also contributed US $ 12,000 to the ministry,” he said.
He said the ministry would set up a 24-hour complaint mechanism based in both Nay Pyi Taw and Yangon to deal with labour-related issues for Myanmar workers at home and abroad.
Since the violence broke out in June, hundreds of Myanmar migrants have returned from Malaysia – some using their own money and others receiving aid from Myanmar companies.
At least 700 workers had returned as of June 24, including 45 who were helped by Ayeyarwady Foundation, the charitable arm of Max Myanmar Group.
Another 20 arrived home on June 25, including some injured workers.
Ayeyarwaddy Foundation brought another 176 workers back for free on June 26 and sent some injured workers to Victoria Hospital for treatment.
A number of the migrants who returned were not caught up in the violence but had been released from detention camps where they were being held for overstaying in Malaysia.
“ I was arrested on April 3 for overstaying and since then I was kept in a detention camp for one week and then one month in jail with a flogging. The embassy helped me to return but I had to pay $ 650,” said U Myint Hlaing, who worked in an air-conditioning maintenance factory in Melaka and returned on June 23.
He said he had been informed that more than 80 Myanmar migrants are being held in prison in Melaka, while more than 600 Myanmar are in a detention camp there.
“ Those who completed their sentence in prison can go back to Myanmar but most go to the detention camp because they can’ t afford the cost of returning home. They can stay for six months to eight months in the camp. Some are hoping for UN assistance,” U Myint Hlaing said.
Most returning workers said they wanted to go abroad again if they could but said they encountered numerous difficulties in Malaysia, including being cheated by job brokers.
“ When I reached there I had many troubles for the first two years. Later my passport expired. Most workers can’ t go back home because they don’ t have money and they can just send back a little amount of money, too,” said Ko Phyu Lay, who lived in Malaysia for five years.
– Translated by Zar Zar Soe
NDSC agrees to meet each week during hluttaw
THE National Defence and Security Council will meet once a week while the national parliament is in session, lower house speaker Thura U Shwe Mann said last week.
The speaker said the NDSC, which comprises 11 senior members of the parliament, government and military, met on July 1 for the first time in“ ages” and agreed to convene more regularly.
The meeting was called after Thura U Shwe Mann sent a formal message to the president on June 25 asking him to call the NDSC together“ as soon as possible”.
He said that despite holding regular meetings since the formation of the new government there had been a significant break since the previous meeting.
At the meeting, members of the council also agreed to use the government’ s own funds to help build peace with non-state armed groups rather than wait for financial assistance from abroad, Thura U Shwe Mann told reporters on July 3.
They also agreed on the need to“ take more care over the peace-making process” and to more closely coordinate between different institutions.
“ We... agreed to use government funds and not expect foreign countries and organisations to help,” he said.
He said that funding for peace activities would come from the“ special fund” in the President’ s Office. – Soe Than Lynn, translated by Thiri Min Htun