Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today said his ministry had intensified efforts to deport all illegal foreign workers to their countries of origin before bringing approximately 1.5 million workers from Bangladesh to Malaysia.

He said the ministry, through the Immigration Department, police, RELA and other agencies, had also intensified their cooperation to carry out joint enforcement to flush out illegal foreign workers in the peninsula, as well as in Sabah and Sarawak.

"Before we bring in 1.5 million legal workers from Bangladesh, we will first take the illegal ones out, who now numbered about two million in the job market.

"In the meantime, we will also seek cooperation from the embassies of the countries involved," he told a press conference after attending the Inculcation of Good ValuesProgrammewith the ministry's staff here today.

The minister said the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's effort to bring in the Bangladeshi workers was aimed at meeting the demands of employers in the plantation, construction, manufacturing and service sectors.

"Therefore, the matter should not bepoliticised...it will not be an uncontrolled dumping of foreign workers because we will take out all illegal foreign workers first before bringing in those with complete documents.

"There is no country thatallowforeign workers to work without valid documents or to stay longer than their visa validity," he said.

Last Thursday, Ahmad Zahid said approximately 1.5 million workers from Bangladesh would be brought to Malaysia in stages over three years to meet the demands of employers from various sectors.