Sibu, Malaysia: Friday;
Thousands of foreign workers in Malaysia were arrested by the Malaysian Police because they did not bother to bring along their I-Card.
The I-Card is a substitution of their passport which is either too bulky to be carried along or is in the hand of their employers. Some employers, despite warnings from the Malaysian Authorities, still held back their employees’s passport for fear of them running away to a new employer.
The Chief Secretary General Of The Immigration Department, Datuk Wahid Md Don said, "There are 2.2 million foreign workers in Malaysia and all of them must apply for the I-Card.
Prior to this announcement, the I-Card were only enforced on foreign students. The Immigration department of Malaysia also called on the various private colleges to apply this I-Card for their students.
Datuk Wahid added that the responsibility in applying for the I-Card is on the Employers. They must apply for the card and give it to the workers.
Malaysia is still short of workers due to demands from factories and construction sites. Foreign workers are also employed in the various oil palm plantation throughout the country.