A MIDST crackdown on illegal migrants and workers, the Malaysian authorities have detained a total of 789 Bangladeshis who did not have proper documentations for staying in the country. Some of them said that it was their employers who had delayed and eventually failed to apply for an enforcement card (e-card), preferring to have them working rather than straightening out their papers, moreover, owing them months of salary.

The e-card would have allowed the labourers to temporarily stay in Malaysia, buying them time to obtain valid travel documents. But it appears that their employers had preferred to have them continue working on illegally, as that would give them leverage over the workers who, by lacking proper documentation, would be at their employers' mercy. This kind of worker exploitation across borders is not a new phenomenon, but is a problem that the Malaysian authorities must address at their end.

Consequently, the Bangladeshi authorities must address the causes why migrants and workers are staying abroad illegally. As this newspaper reported, around 2,000 Bangladeshis, mostly migrants from Iran, Lebanon and Jordan, are currently stuck in Turkey as their attempts to illegally enter Europe were foiled. This raises the question as to why they would risk their lives to try to enter Europe, if not in search of greener pastures.

And if that is the case, then it is a lack of opportunities at home that is forcing thousands of people to travel abroad, at great risks, in desperation of finding some means of sustenance. This is something that the authorities should address seriously.