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