‘Congestion’ at KL airport as employers scramble to bring in thousands of migrant workers before deadline ---CNA/hz(as)

Kuala Lumpur International Airport saw up to 4,500 migrant workers arriving on May 27, about four to nine times the usual number. KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is seeing four to nine times more migrant worker arrivals as employers rush to bring them in before a Friday (May 31) deadline. Videos circulating on social media show throngs of migrant workers in the gate area of the airport’s two terminals, some of them sitting and lying on the floor. Malaysia’s Immigration Department said in a statement on Thursday that since May 22, 2,500 migrant workers have arrived each day, with this figure increasing to between 4,000 and 4,500 on Monday. This is compared to the usual 500 to 1,000 daily arrivals of these migrant workers prior, the department said. It also warned that it expects the number to increase until Friday, based on information received from airlines that had added more flights into the country “to meet demands”. The influx of these migrant workers comes amid an earlier government decision to bring forward a deadline for firms to bring them in - from end-September later this year to May 31 - effectively shortening the period of time for them to enter the country. The immigration department attributed this increase to eleventh-hour efforts by employers to bring in migrant workers before the Friday deadline, which the government had brought forward in line with a decision to cancel employers’ quotas for migrant workers who have not obtained entry visas with reference (VDR) after Mar 31. A VDR is a visa issued by the Malaysian Representative Office abroad to a non-citizen to enable individuals to enter Malaysia after the visa is approved by the immigration department headquarters. The government had previously said that migrant workers have to obtain these VDRs by Mar 31. It had also brought forward the deadline for them to come to Malaysia from Sep 30 to May 31. On Mar 8, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the move would enable the government to accurately measure the need for foreign manpower in the country, before considering the need to open up new quotas for the intake of more migrant workers, local media reported. Industry players and activists criticised the move, saying that the visa application took months to process and that the prospect of missing the deadline could force employers to cut corners in bringing in already vulnerable migrant workers. Since last year, thousands of migrants, mostly from Bangladesh and Nepal, have been left in limbo after arriving in Malaysia, where they were told that jobs promised to them in exchange for steep recruitment fees were no longer available. But Mr Saifuddin resisted calls to reverse the decision and stick with the original Sep 30 deadline, citing reasons of national security. The number of migrant workers, based on approved quotas so far, could already hit the government-set limit by May 31, he said then. According to local media reports, there are some 2.17 million migrant workers already at work in Malaysia. The immigration department said on Thursday that all migrant workers arriving in Malaysia need to be vetted and undergo health check-ups at KLIA. “We urge employers to give their full cooperation by being present to settle the immigration process for their workers, which will reduce congestion in the arrival halls,” it added. The department said it is working with Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd, which manages KLIA, to take “immediate steps” in ensuring the comfort of other passengers. This includes adding immigration counters and officers to speed up the vetting and validation process and manage the huge crowds, as well as providing food and water for the migrant workers in the airport. “The department will continue to monitor and improve the situation,” it said.

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