A total of 2,633 undocumented Myanmar migrant workers in Malaysia have been issued with work permits and legalization of another 2,236 are being made for granting the necessary documentation to them, said a news release issued by the Myanmar News Agency on Sunday.
The news release has reported that officials from both countries handed over the work permits and approval papers to undocumented workers holding Myanmar passports. Under a programme called Cooperation in Registration, Legalisation and Deportation of Undocumented Myanmar Workers in Malaysia, biometric details of 4,869 undocumented migrant workers from Myanmar were registered, with steps being taken to issue work permits to 9,738 Myanmar migrant workers who have been confirmed to be Myanmar citizens, said the news release.
Meanwhile, a total of 15,256 undocumented migrant workers who were found to hold Myanmar citizenship and were unwilling to remain in Malaysia have been deported.
Since the programme’s launch in Malaysia on 21 April last year, both countries have stepped up efforts to protect the rights of Myanmar migrant labourers in Malaysia, said the news release.