Foreign workers must learn Malay: Report

Foreign workers must learn Malay: Report

Foreign workers in Malaysia will have to take a course in Malaysia's language and culture before they are allowed to work in the country, a minister said on Tuesday.

From Nov. 1 they must undergo an induction course in the language, culture and religion of multiracial Malaysia, said Human Resources Minister Fong Chan Onn.

Only workers from neighboring Indonesia, which speaks the same language, will be exempt.

The foreign workers would also be required to have insurance cover, he said.

"Their applications to work in Malaysia will be rejected if they fail to comply with the two regulations," Fong was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency.

He said the duration and syllabus of the course would be determined through discussions between ministry officials and the relevant countries. It would be conducted in the workers' country of origin.

Malaysia relies on foreign unskilled labor to do dirty, poorly paid work that locals shun, and is one of Asia's largest importers of foreign labor. Foreign workers, both legal and illegal, number about 2.6 million of its 10.5 million workforce.

There have been occasional reports of brawls between foreign workers of different nationalities in Malaysia in recent years. The authorities are concerned that such clashes may involve Malaysian nationals in the near future.

An acute labor shortage caused by a crackdown on illegal immigrants in March prompted the government to fast-track the recruitment of some 100,000 Pakistanis.

The government has also been looking for workers from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar and Vietnam. -- AFP