Sri Lanka signed an agreement with Malaysia today to supply between 40,000 and 50,000 trained maids and plantation workers, the official Bernama news agency reported.

Sri Lanka's visiting Minister of Employment and Labour Mahinda Samarasinghe signed the memorandum of understanding at a meeting with Malaysia's Human Resources Minister Fong Chan Onn.

Fong said Malaysia planned to sign similar agreements with Thailand, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and several other countries.

Efficient recruitment

"This memorandum ensures a more systematic and efficient recruitment of workers as well as better trained workers who can speak good English," he told reporters.

Fong said there were now just 4,000 Sri Lankan workers employed in the two sectors in the country. The government was looking into a request from Sri Lanka to extend the deal to the manufacturing and construction sectors.

Malaysia last year expelled more than 400,000 migrants, mainly from neighbouring Indonesia and the Philippines, who were working illegally. - AFP