KL tells firms insure foreigners

KL tells firms insure foreigners

KUALA LUMPUR (DPA): Malaysian labor authorities have warned
employers to insure foreign workers against accidents or face
court action and possible jail terms, a news report said
yesterday.

Human Resources Minister Lim Ah Lek said he was "appalled" to
learn that 700,000 legal foreign workers as well as most illegal
foreign laborers were uninsured despite a law passed two years
ago.

Under the law, errant bosses will be fined 20,000 ringgit
(US$5,000) or jailed for two years, and barred from hiring
foreign workers, the New Straits Times reported.

Lim said employers, not the government, were responsible for
the welfare of their workers.