M'SIAN IMMIGRATION DEPT TO ORGANISE SPECIAL REGISTRATION PROGRAMME FOR BANGLADESHI NATIONALS

KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 (Bernama) -- The Immigration Department will organise a
Special Registration Programme at certain locations that have become the
preferred settlement and working areas for Bangladeshi nationals in Malaysia.

The programme, to be held with the cooperation of Bangladesh High
Commissioner's Office, followed the meeting between Home Minister Hishammuddin
Tun Hussein and Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia, Atiqur Rahman, on June
29.

Home Ministry deputy secretary-general (Registration and Immigration) Alwi
Ibrahim said the high commissioner would personally participate in the programme
to identify the locations.

"The programme will begin as soon as the locations have been identified," he
said in a statement here Monday.

He said the programme would be implemented by taking into consideration the
reports lodged by Bangladeshi workers who had fallen victim to a certain
syndicate.

"At the same time, most of the Bangladeshi workers, who make up the second
highest number of immigrants in the country, are also found without valid travel
documents.

"So, the initiative will coordinate the issuance of documents needed for
illegal immigrants allowed to work here under the bleaching programme," he said.

Alwi said the initiative was part of the government's total solution
programme for illegal immigrants (6P).

The 6P programme involves six action plans, which are registering,
legalising, pardoning, monitoring, enforcing and deporting illegal immigrants.

It will be carried out by registering illegal immigrants using a biometric
system to track their movements in the country.

The objective of the bleaching exercise was to collect data on how many
illegal immigrants are in the country, how many work in sectors allowed to
recruit foreigners and other information that are hoped to be used to reduce
social problems related to illegal immigrants.