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Thursday 17 March 2011

30000 Foreigners Caned

Has the government ever caned any employer for perpetuating such offence?

By G. Rajasekaran (President ITUC-Asia Pacific)

Malaysian Home Affairs Minister Hishammuddin Hussein's recent revelation to Parliament that 30,000 foreign workers were caned is most shocking.

In a statement released March 15, 2011 the President of the International Trade Union Confederation-Asia Pacific, G. Rajasekaran urged the government to end the brutal and barbaric practice.

The ITUC believes that not everyone subjected to such torture knew that they were committing an offence by venturing out to earn a living.

Rajasekaran who served as the Secretary General of MTUC (1994-2010) said MTUC has evidence to show that licences issued by the Malaysian Home Affairs Ministry have led to widespread abuse. These labour suppliers, licenced to traffic in workers, are the main cause of the rise in the number of illegal foreign workers.

MTUC has received complaints from hundreds of workers that have been in the country for as long as six months without any wages. Many brought in to work in restaurants are compelled to work in the manufacturing sector: and in the eyes of the law is an infringement of work permit conditionality and can be detained, prosecuted, caned and jailed!

Has the government ever caned any employer for perpetuating such offence?

We call for the abolition of all forms or corporal punishment, which constitutes torture or ill-treatment.

G. RAJASEKARAN
PRESIDENT ITUC-Asia Pacific
Secretary General MTUC 1994-2010

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