HANOI - Vietnam has suspended recruiting workers for the Malaysian workforce after its neighbour temporarily halted granting visas amid the Sars outbreak, official said today.

"Malaysian authorities have stopped issuing visas to Vietnamese workers since April 1 and said the ban would last until the Sars was put under control," a government official told AFP .

"It is just a problem of health security. We hope we can resume our operation soon after the fears of Sars are fading. Malaysia is a potential market with a huge demand of about 200,000 workers from Vietnam in the coming years," the Vietnamese official said.

Temporary move

The Malaysian Embassy in Hanoi confirmed the visa ban Thursday, insisting, though, that the move was "temporary".

More than 13,000 Vietnamese workers were sent to Malaysia in the first three months of this year according to official figures.

Some 32,000 Vietnamese are currently working in Malaysia.

Malaysia has blocked entry to visitors from China and Hong Kong, and also imposed visa requirements o­n travellers from Canada, which has been badly hit by the Sars outbreak. -- AFP