The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) today called on the government to declare an amnesty to allow the estimated 2.1 million illegal foreign workers to leave the country.

Its vice-president, A Balasubramaniam said this was the best way to reduce the number of foreign workers in the country.

bangladesh foreign workers migrants 030108 He said the last amnesty from July 1 2004 to February 2005 was very successful, where 230,000 such workers left the country voluntarily.

He told Bernama that the MTUC had received hundreds of requests from these workers, especially those whose visas had expired, that they wanted to return to their country of origin.

However, the cost of getting the documentation was rather high and the workers could not afford it, he said.

It would benefit the country

He said it cost the workers a total of M2,000 to get the papers to go back, and it included a fine of RM300 for overstaying, RM600 for airfare and RM1,100 for processing the application through specified agents.

Under an amnesty the workers need not pay anything as the cost of repatriation would be borne by their country.

Balasubramaniam said an amnesty would benefit the country as it would provide employment opportunities for the locals, reduce the number of detention camps, redeploy enforcement officers, lower the risk of the spread of communicable diseases and assist foreign workers from being exploited by local errant employers.

Besides these, Malaysia would also be able to earn the goodwill of workers organisations both at home and in the workers' country of origin, he added.