Draft law targets foreign workers in crackdown on crime

The Malaysian government will table a law in parliament next month that would curb the freedom of movement of about 1.9 million legally employed foreign workers, ostensibly to combat an increase in serious crime.

The workers - mostly employed in the construction, manufacturing and plantation sectors - would be confined to their quarters, called kongsi, that are made of zinc and plywood and located inside or near their workplaces. The rule would apply even on their days off.

The proposed law, announced by Home Minister Radzi Ahmad on Sunday, would require workers to obtain permission from their employers before they are allowed to leave the kongsi. Employers would be required to keep a log of the daily movements of their foreign employees for inspection by police.

'The draft law will be tabled in parliament in March,' he said.

Officials said it was likely to become law and be gazetted by the end of this year. The measures are strongly supported by the police, who have been criticised for failing to curb rising crime.

'In this way, we can keep track of the workers and arrest them if they are involved in crime,' said Inspector-General Musa Hassan. Official police statistics show that while serious crime rose last year by 40 per cent over 2005, only 2 per cent of foreign workers were involved.

The same statistics showed that Malaysians of Indian origin, who form 8 per cent of the total population of 26 million, committed 35 per cent of all serious crime.