KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 — The Ministry of Human Resources will conduct nationwide operations following a letter by a migrant rights activist to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), regarding the plight of Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia.

Its Minister V. Sivakumar stressed that the move was to ensure that there are no elements as alleged in the letter, including the issue of an unfavourable environment and foreign workers who are allegedly struggling in debt bondage.

"I view this matter seriously as I want to prevent actions outside of the law.

"I also want anyone involved not to repeat things like this, and we want to avoid the occurrence of elements of forced labour in this country,” he told reporters after attending the third series of the Jelajah Madani with the Human Resources Minister, in Gombak today.

He was commenting on a local media report about activist, Andy Hall, who has written a letter to OHCHR, a body under the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Switzerland, alleging that hundreds of Bangladeshi workers are struggling in debt bondage and without jobs in this country.

On the issue of Malaysians who are often deceived by job scams abroad, Sivakumar explained that his ministry will continue to provide information to youths, to ensure that they do not fall for the empty promises of agents.

He said that his ministry, through Talent Corporation Malaysia Bhd (TalentCorp), is also implementing various efforts to ensure that students who are about to enter the world of work know of the potential jobs in this country, as well as creating more opportunities in the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), so that they do not depend on foreign countries.

He also said that applications for admission to 1,334 TVET institutions nationwide for the January 2024 session are open until Nov 13.

"I hope youths seize the opportunity to venture into the field of TVET, because the courses offered are tailored according to the needs of the labour market, thus guaranteeing employment opportunities in the future.

He added that the government has mainstreamed TVET skills training as the main option, by opening up opportunities for skills training to all Malaysians, regardless of race or socioeconomic status.

Regarding the Jelajah Madani programme today, Sivakumar said that more than 1,000 job opportunities were offered to job seekers, involving 10 employers, in the carnival, which is a continuous effort by the government to ensure that job seekers, including the vulnerable group in Selangor, get job opportunities from various sectors.

Also, 150 food baskets were distributed to the underprivileged, and 10 laptops were given to outstanding students from underprivileged families. — Bernama