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Malaysia to pick recruiting agents
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Both ministers’ comments came amid allegations from recruiting agencies that a “syndicate” of 25 agencies were trying to create a “market oligopoly” by getting approval for themselves while depriving others.
Between 2016 and 2018, Malaysia hired workers from Bangladesh through 10 selected recruiting agencies. However, the then Malaysian government in September 2018 suspended recruiting Bangladeshi workers amid allegations of irregularities and high recruitment costs of up to Tk 4 lakhfor each worker.
The maximum official migration cost for a Bangladeshi migrant worker heading to Malaysia is Tk 1.6 lakh.
The December MoU signing essentially ends the moratorium. However, migration of fresh workers is yet to start.
While attending the signing ceremony of “recording of discussion” of the JWG meeting at InterContinental Dhaka yesterday, Saravanan said both countries have in principle agreed that there should be “zero cost of migration” for workers who go to Malaysia.
He said he will cancel permits of Malaysian employers if they are found charging workers additional money.
He added that the Bangladesh government expressed concerns about the wellbeing of Bangladeshi workers and he had given assurances in response.
While briefing reporters, Imran said he is hopeful about sending fresh workers to Malaysia by this month, and the ministry will soon publish a circular in this regard.
Talking about the outcome of the JWG meeting, Ahmed Munirus Saleheen, secretary of the expatriates’ welfare ministry, said as per the meeting decision, the minimum wage of a Bangladeshi worker in Malaysia will be 1,500 ringgits.
Saleheen also said Malaysia will select Bangladeshi medical centres from a list provided by the expatriates’ welfare ministry.
According to the ministry, under the new MoU, Malaysian employers will bear costs incurred in that country.
SARAVANAN PAYS COURTESY CALL ON PM
BSS reports that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday expressed her optimism that both countries would be able to devise ways to ensure safe, regular, inexpensive, and orderly employment of Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia.
“The prime minister gave assurance of her government to send Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia maintaining all necessary protocols, including vaccination and other formalities,” said a release of the prime minister’s press wing.
She made the remarks when M Saravanan paid a courtesy call on her at the Gono Bhaban.
Hasina expressed deep satisfaction over the holding of the first meeting of the JWG under the auspices of the MoU.
The premier appreciated the decision of the Malaysian government to recruit Bangladeshi security personnel for non-military civilian use, BSS report said.

Shakib named
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side was in 2009, also on a tour of the West Indies, after then skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza suffered an injury.
Shakib continued as Test captain till 2011, leading Bangladesh in a total of nine Tests in his first stint. He was then reappointed for the role in 2017, replacing Mushfiqur Rahim and, interestingly, his first assignment was once again a tour to the West Indies in July 2018.
That two-Test series, however, ended on a sour note for the Tigers as they suffered heavy defeats in both the matches and were bundled out for a paltry 43 in one innings in Antigua -- their lowest total in Tests till date.
Shakib’s second stint as the Test skipper came to an end in 2019 when the ICC imposed a ban on the all-rounder for failing to report corrupt approaches from a bookie.
Now 35, he has once again been entrusted with a leadership role in Tests, which will start with yet another steep test in the Caribbean.