CNI News

19 July 2024

Calling workers with fake demand letters through illegal channels by agents and brokers has increased to send workers to Malaysia that has suspended calling migrant workers, Myanmar nationalities organizations told CNI News.

There has been a sharp increase in the number of financial fraud agents and brokers who exploit Myanmar workers facing crisis to work abroad with fake demand letters and the Malaysian government has not had a plan to call foreign workers up to now, U Nyi Nyi Lwin, Director General of the Center for Arakan Refugees, told CNI News.

" Because many Myanmar people want to work abroad, those who want to cheat have emerged. You can't go abroad to work officially with fake demand letters. Some demand letters use the name of a company, but when you arrive in Malaysia, you have to find a job yourself. In fact, there are hardly any factories in Malaysia that offer jobs. When the workers arrive in Malaysia, some get jobs and others don't. If you have a permit, it is easy for you to get a job. Now workers with no permits are not largely hired. In the past, if you had a UNHCR card or a community card or passport or nothing, you might be hired. Now the Immigration Department is conducting a lot of arrests." he said.

The Malaysian government has banned foreign workers to enter its country since the end of April and demand letters issuance processes have been suspended reportedly.

There are over 500 licensed overseas employment agencies in Myanmar, and brokers and agents are included in the agencies. Some agencies change the workers' passport for job (PJ) into passport for visit (PV) and are directly sending workers to Malaysia through Thailand reportedly.

Because the State Administration Council (SAC) has tightened leaving abroad at present, overseas employment agencies don't have to do a lot of work like in the past, U Win Myint, Managing Director of Lucky Overseas Employment Agency, told CNI News.

" There are people who send workers abroad. I don't know how they send. They might send workers to Malaysia through Bangkok. Because we are a licensed agency, we can't act like a broker. Only when we receive a genuine demand letter, can we send workers. Agencies try to send workers to China, but it's not easy because China has tightened its policies. Several workers leave for other countries. But most workers enter foreign countries through illegal channels. At present, workers go abroad with PV because PJ has an age limit to work abroad. Demand letters have been scarce." he said.

The Ministry of Labor is pushing agencies to ask workers who go abroad through agencies to transfer money to the families and income tax officially. 

The ministry has instructed agencies to submit personal information of the workers who were sent abroad between April and December, 2023 and there are almost 400 agencies who failed to submit, said in the statement by the ministry.

Asking for personal information is intended to tackle whether workers have transferred money to their families or not reportedly.