The Indian High Commission today ticked off Malaysian bosses for continued mistreatment of its nationals whom they employ.

This, it said in a statement today, is despite close cooperation with the Malaysian Human Resource Ministry to curb such abuses and for remedial action.

"We are still getting information of cases of physical abuse and ill-treatment of Indian manpower in Malaysia," it said.

As such, the commission said, it will now take measures by withdrawing benefits, such as visas and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) card, for Malaysian employers found guilty of abuses against its nationals.

The PIO card grants convenient access to foreign citizens who can trace their ancestry to India.

"We appeal to all employers to kindly cooperate with the Indian High Commission in ensuring the safety, security and well-being of all Indian labourers employed by them in Malaysia," it said.

Modern-day slavery conditions

Malaysia has for several years been plagued by poor protection for migrant workers.

United States-based NGO Verité in a report last month said one-third of migrant workers in the Malaysian electronic industry are trapped in "forced labour", a form of modern-day slavery.

According to British newspaper The Guardian , Verité, which interviewed 500 worker, concluded in its report that debt bondage and illegal confiscation of passports and documents were the main causes of forced labour in the industry.

It added workers were further exploited due to their inability to leave, including being forced to live in cramped and dangerous accommodation, while female workers were sexually abused.

The Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) last week also highlighted the case of 531 unpaid and starving migrant workers who were abandoned by a bankrupt factory in Johor.

The workers include nationals from Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Human rights group Amnesty International in a 2010 report criticised Malaysia for lack of effort in stopping such abuses.

"Migrants, many from Bangladesh, Indonesia and Nepal, are forced to work in hazardous situations, often against their will, and toil for 12 hours a day or more," Amnesty International said.

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