The bringing of 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers into the country is not because the government wanted it but is at the request of industries in the sectors permitted, business associations, and chambers of commerce, said Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also home minister, stressed that not all the 1.5 million were coming in one go but in stages over three to five years.

"The figure of 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers which has received wide play in the media is actually the number of those registered with the Bangladesh government for job purposes," he told a media conference in Putrajaya today.

Earlier, Ahmad Zahid had chaired the last meeting of the special cabinet committee on development and management of the Malaysian halal industry, which was dissolved and replaced with the Malaysian Halal Council.

Ahmad Zahid said the (Bangladeshi) workers to be brought in must also meet certain conditions, like they must first be trained in the sector they will be in before they are given employment.

He said the workers would also have to be given training in cross-culture to help them understand Malaysian culture, as well as expose them to the country's laws and code of ethics.

They will also be vetted for criminal activities, as well as for health issues before permission to bring them in is given, he said.

He also stressed that enforcement against foreign workers, especially Bangladeshis, will still be carried out to ensure those who overstayed faced action such as deportation.

Ahmad Zahid said the details of the agreement would be finalised by the Human Resource Ministry and the Bangladesh government in Dhaka on Feb 18 before being tabled to the Cabinet for approval.

Application to bring in Bangladeshi workers could be done online by the industries concerned and submitted to the Home Ministry's foreign workers' division, he said.

- Bernama