Malaysia amnesty for millions of migrant workers

MALAYSIA will grant amnesty to as many as 2 million illegal migrants in the country, allowing them to work and live freely under a scheme to be rolled out next month.

By Tom Allard, The Age

Malaysia’s new resolve to ”do the right thing” by illegal immigrants also underpins its negotiations with Australia on the refugee swap deal and partly explains why the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is supportive of the concept.

”It’s a big step in the right direction,” said Aegile Fernandez, director of Tenaganita, a group that assists undocumented arrivals in Malaysia, including refugees. ”We have been asking for this for at least 12 months.”

Malaysia’s Home Minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, revealed some details of the new program on Monday, saying the scheme could be a model for other countries.

The deal is expected to be formally approved by cabinet later this week, at the same time the refugee swap deal with Australia gets the go-ahead.

The complete details have yet to be revealed, but The Age understands that illegal immigrants will be able to register with the authorities to stay and work legally for a year, which can be extended annually for five years in total.