Newspaper agent abuses 10 Indian nationals in Malaysia

However,the men claimed that they were instead asked to work with V Selvam,a newspaper agent in the suburb of Puchong, Malaysian Trades Union Congress secretary-general Abdul Halim Mansor said.

Five out of 10 men were allegedly wrongly detained and charged in court for working illegally in the country,Abdul Halim said.

They are legal workers and have passports but their documents were held by the recruiting agency,when police called the agency,it claimed that the passports were given to the employer,who denied that the five were his employees, Abdul was quoted by Star newspaper as saying.

Following the employer’s denial,the men were arrested and charged in the magistrate’s court here on July 4.

We urge the five men to be released immediately and unconditionally from the Sungai Buloh prison, Abdul Halim said,adding that the rest were currently in hiding.

They worked daily for eight months without salary from 2 am to 4 pm. They had no proper accommodation and were abused, Abdul Halim said.

The group lodged a report at the Subang Jaya police station on June 24. Selvam denied he had abused the men and was keeping their documents. Every year,job agents lure hundreds of naive Indian semi skilled workers to Malaysia with promise of more money and a comfortable perk filled job.

Abuse and non payment of salaries drive most to escape but they are unable to exit the country as the passports are kept by the employer.

The plantation visa is apparently easier to acquire by the employers and many who are brought here work under that visa category but in other sectors like restaurants etc,which is illegal.

The runaway workers then hound the Indian High Commission demanding to be sent back. The High Commission has over the years issued countless caution notices that employees should look into the credibility of the job agent back home and also the company they work at in Malaysia.