REGISTRATION PROGRAMME FOR BANGLADESHI NATIONALS SOON

KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 (Bernama) -- The Immigration Department and Bangladesh
High Commission will carry out a registration drive for Bangladeshi nationals at
locations where they commonly congregate, said Home Ministry's Deputy Secretary
General (Registration and Immigration) Alwi Ibrahim.

He said the exercise was among matters agreed to following a meeting between
Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia
Atiqur Rehman on June 29.

The meeting also involved official-level deliberations between the two sides
on the programme's implementation mechanism, Alwi said in a statement Tuesday.

"The High Commission will go to the ground to survey and identify the
locations and then coordinate with the ministry and immigration department
before the programme starts," he said.

The initiative is part of an overall programme by the government to resolve
the issue of illegal immigrants in the country.

Alwi said the exercise would also take into account cases and reports of
Bangladeshis being victims of exploitation by certain syndicates.

The second largest group of foreign workers in the country, many were found
to be without personal documents, he said.

He added that the joint endeavour would regularise the documentation process
for illegal immigrants who are allowed to work under the regularisation
exercise.