MALAYSIANS might well wonder if they are ever going to see the last of the 200,000 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in their country after the Bangladesh Foreign Minister said last week that there were no concrete plans to take them back.
Abdus Samad Azad said his countrymen were 'living happily in Malaysia'.
His Malaysian counterpart, Abdullah Badawi, remained impassive beside him, prompting a local journalist to murmur: 'We're too polite.' Just a few days earlier, Mr Badawi had said Malaysia's problem in deporting illegal foreign workers could be overcome if countries were willing to take back citizens who had entered Malaysia illegally.
He said he was 'very happy' when the Philippine Foreign Minister, Domingo Siazon, announced his country was willing to take back Filipinos who were working illegally in Malaysia.
'Many countries, however, are still not willing to do so,' Mr Badawi said.
'They say the workers are not their citizens, or that it is too much of a hassle.' Filipinos comprise about one-tenth of the estimated one million illegal foreign workers. There are also at least half a million Indonesians and smaller numbers of Indians, Pakistanis, Burmese and Thais. Increasing numbers of immigrants from China have reportedly entered illegally through Thailand. Malaysia has a further one million foreign workers who have entered the country legally.
Burma is among the countries which have shown a reluctance to take back their nationals, with its embassy saying the status of people identified as Burmese would have to be verified.