Special Select Committee wants govt agencies to provide explanation on issue of forced labour

KUALA LUMPUR: The relevant government agencies, especially the Home Ministry, must provide an explanation regarding Malaysia's ranking in Tier 3 of the Trafficking in Persons 2021 Report issued by the US State Department.

Special Select Committee on Fundamental Liberty and Constitutional Rights chairman Datuk Seri Azizah Mohd Dun said the agencies should also provide an explanation regarding government measures and plans to improve Malaysia's ranking in the report.

"Coordination among the relevant government agencies in tackling the issue of forced labour must be carried out more comprehensively and effectively," she said in a statement today.

She said the committee was deeply concerned with the issue of forced labour in the plantation and manufacturing sectors in Malaysia, which caused the country to be placed in that position in the said report.

She said the committee had, so far, held five meetings for in-depth discussions of the issue by calling up the relevant agencies as well as by hearing briefings held by the Ministry of Human Resource; Ministry of Plantation, Industries and Commodities; Council for Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants; and Department of Labour of Peninsular Malaysia.

Azizah said two of the companies handed the Withhold Release Order (WRO) by the United States Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) had also been called up to give an explanation.

She said the committee meeting yesterday was briefed by the Ministry of Human Resource, which presented the results of the trip by its minister, Datuk Seri M. Saravanan, to Washington, the United States.

"This meeting also discussed several important relevant issues, namely Malaysia's ranking in Tier 3 in the report as well as steps taken regarding the WRO sanctions by the USCBP based on the 11 forced labour indicators of the International Labour Organisation.

"The committee is aware that the issue of forced labour, which caused the WRO to be imposed on eight companies in the plantation and manufacturing sectors, had resulted in losses to the country," she said.

-- BERNAMA