KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Malaysia is considering allowing refugees to work while awaiting resettlement abroad, a report said Monday, after an industry group said the measure could help to ease a labour shortage.
Rights groups have accused Malaysia of mistreating the nearly 80,000 refugees and asylum-seekers in the country, mainly from military-ruled Myanmar.
"The suggestion might work but we need to look at it from all angles," he said.
The minister's office was not able to immediately confirm his comments.
"It will benefit the country if refugees with certain expertise are allowed to work while they are here," Foreign Minister Anifah Aman was quoted as saying by the paper.
The United Nations refugee agency in Malaysia said it was ready to support the initiative.
"We believe that this is in the long-term humanitarian, economic and security interest of Malaysia, and consistent with Malaysia's own humanitarian tradition in helping those in need," spokeswoman Yante Ismail told AFP.
Malaysia, which has about 2.2 million migrant workers, is one of Asia's largest importers of labour and relies heavily on foreigners for maids and to work in plantation and factories.
Human Rights Watch had singled out a government-backed volunteer force in Malaysia known as RELA for allegedly beating, threatening and extorting money from migrants and asylum-seekers. --AFP
Source :http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20100222-200284.html
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