Bangladeshis in Malaysia to get social benefits

Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has said that from now on, Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia will receive the same social protection benefits as Malaysian workers.

In addition, for those going to Malaysia who have weak English skills or find it difficult to learn the Malay language, arrangements have been discussed to allow them to file complaints in Bangla, he said while briefing the press at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka following a meeting of the Advisory Council on Thursday.

The Press Secretary said, "The visit to Malaysia was very fruitful -- we would call it a landmark tour. As a result, the already good relationship between Bangladesh and Malaysia has been further strengthened. Labour welfare issues were discussed with the Malaysian Prime Minister, and some progress has been made. The Expatriates' Welfare Adviser informed the meeting about the process of legalising undocumented or irregular Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia.

"On our part, we also proposed recruiting Bangladeshi security guards and caregivers in Malaysia, and we expect progress on this matter soon. Additionally, the issue of allowing Bangladeshi students in Malaysia to work under the 'Graduate Plus' programme was raised, and the Malaysian side said they would work on it."

Shafiqul Alam added, "We will very soon conclude a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Malaysia. We import about USD 3.0 billion worth of food and other products from Malaysia. To accelerate trade between us, we will move quickly on FTA discussions. We are already in talks about FTAs with Japan and Singapore as well."

mirmostafiz@yahoo.com