FOREIGN WORKERS MAY NOT BE ALLOWED TO BRING DEPENDANTS

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- Foreign workers, especially Indonesians in
the east Malaysian state of Sabah, may no longer be allowed to bring in their
dependants, but must instead send back their wives and children to their home
country.

Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said this was one of the 20
recommendations submitted by the Sabah laboratory on the management of
foreign workers.

At the same time, passes for foreign workers' dependants would no longer be
renewed or issued, he said in a statement.

Previously, these passes were issued during the amnesty, allowing foreign
workers to bring their wives and children to stay with them.

Hishammuddin said the 20 recommendations were made by the laboratory in
addition to the 48 initiatives submitted by the national-level laboratory on the
management of foreign workers.

He said the recommendations were presented to the Sabah Cabinet on July 7
and would also be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet Committee on
Foreign Workers and Illegal Immigrants (JKKPA-PATI) to be chaired by Deputy
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Hishammuddin said Sabah Cabinet ministers would also be briefed on the
recommendations at a special meeting on the implementation strategies of the
initiatives of the laboratory jointly chaired by him and Human Resource
Minister Dr S. Subramaniam.

He said the Sabah government would also set up the state foreign workers
management committee chaired by the state secretary and comprising
representatives of state and federal departments. The committee will be
responsible to the Chief Minister and JKKPA-PATI.

Comprising 27 officers from federal and state agencies with the Performance
Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) acting as the facilitator, the Sabah
laboratory brainstormed for four weeks in May on ways to improve the management
of foreign workers.
-- BERNAMA


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