Govt Mulls Plan To Allow Companies To Sponsor Foreign Detainees Trip Home

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Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin and HR Minister M Saravanan at the joint press conference today.PUTRAJAYA: The home ministry said they are looking at a proposal to let companies “sponsor” a foreign detainee’s return trip to his home country.
Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin said in return, the company can take another detainee, who is fit, to work for them.
“In that way, we see it as a way to reduce cost in immigration detention centres.
“In other words, if you (companies) want to reduce cost, you come to us and you take one (of the foreign detainees) to work for you, and you send one (home),” he said at his joint press conference with Human Resources Minister M Saravanan today.
However, he added, any plans to take a detainee to work was still subject to strict Covid-19 SOP screening.
“Only a small number of them are allowed to work, like those who were detained for breaching immigration laws for overstaying.
“We will not let those arrested for serious crimes to go out and we will send them back ourselves,” Hamzah said, adding that Saravanan will table the Cabinet papers on this in the near future.
Meanwhile, in addressing the issue of hostels where Covid-19 had spread among foreign workers, Saravanan said the Labour Department had visited and investigated several factories in two states.
“The department will announce later on the compounds we had issued against these factories.
“I want to stress that we will take action against them under the Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act, as we did previously against two other companies.
“It is only fair we take action on all, without any favouritism,” he said.
Previously, the Labour Department said they had opened 19 investigation papers against Top Glove Corp Bhd for allegedly breaching Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act.
The Top Glove workers’ hostel in Klang is now under the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) until Dec 14.
The government said 5,805 Covid-19 tests were conducted against workers and 3,406 positive cases were recorded. - FMT

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