FOREIGNER MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING ACCORDING TO SECTORS

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 23 (Bernama) -- Foreigner management and monitoring in the
country will be charged to ministries and agencies according to sectors, Home
Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said.

He said plantation was put under the Plantation Industries and Commodities
Ministry, services under the Human Resource Ministry and manufacturing under the
International Trade and Industry Ministry.

"Other ministries given responsibility are the Tourism Ministry for tourism,
Higher Education Ministry for education and the Home Ministry for the security
sector," he said in a statement Tuesday.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Feb 22 said the government
had formed a managment laboratory to study the illegal immigrants issue.

Muhyiddin said the laboratory headed by the Home Ministry comprised eight
ministries and 15 government agencies.

Hishammuddin said the ministry was taking measures to increase locals in the
security sector, in line with the government decision to reduce dependence on
foreign workers.


Last month, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with the
Malaysian Security Guard Association to recruit Rela and Civil Defence
Department members as security guards.

"I am confident that the ministries and agencies can become a platform to
find strategies to improve the system in place. Focus is on entry procedures,
legal, monitoring system and enforcement."

The government would draw participation from stake holders including
business associations and employers to seek ideas to make the system more
effective.

Hishammuddin said the government valued the service of legal foreign workers
but feared that some foreigners not only entered the country illegally but also
wanted to remain for good.

-- BERNAMA