YOURSAY | The lucrative business of human-trafficking

YOURSAY | ’There is more to this tragic man-eat-man business.’

Exposed: Shackles of rampant modern-day slave trading

Vijay47: I must admire and congratulate the Malaysiakini journalists who went undercover to get the lowdown on this industry, which they correctly labelled as “human trafficking”.

All such criminal activities are managed either by ruthless gangsters or by persons having intimate connections with the underworld.

One can only wonder what the consequences would be if the journalists’ real identities were known.

After mortgaging whatever little they have, the workers reach our shores in the belief that Malaysia is heaven teeming with opportunities, where they could earn for themselves and their families at home.

While some fortunate ones do indeed have happy experiences to share, many learn soon enough that they are victims who must try desperately to survive in hell.

But the trafficking that is going on is nothing new.

We have been reading about it almost forever and the fact that it is continuing unabated, so openly and blatantly, reveals the confidence of the people involved.

Such confidence is an assurance that can emerge only from the knowledge that they can rely on protection from powerful parties.

At the end of the day, we knew that nothing would happen, the show would go on, and it would be business as usual.

How many times have we read of personnel in the three directly-related agencies, Human Resources Ministry, Immigration Department and the police being hauled up?

Yet, for all the fervent, fierce promises made, the dark wheeling and dealing never stops.

Yeah, sure, the littoral combat ships (LCS) contracts will stay with Boustead.

Newday: Investigative journalism at its best exposing the worst.

Surely the Immigration Department or Home Ministry knows this and who the trafficking players are and, most likely, for a long time.

They are not powerless in working to stomp this practice out.

It still raises many questions as to the depth of established corruption within the system.

Bravemalaysian: Enough is enough. Common sense tells me that recruitment, if done on a government-to-government (G2G) basis via websites, can be much more efficient and cheaper for employers and have better returns for the employees.

Governments do not make ridiculous monies from this. It is the traffickers who need to be stopped. Stop the slavery of people and restore dignity to the human race.

This is utterly immoral and criminal. How long will the government continue to allow these syndicates to make indecent money from the misery of desperate employers and workers?

Sealthedeal: These people have been operating for years with the collusion of the authorities. Immigration should release every migrant they are extorting in internment camps and close the camps permanently.

Human rights? We already heard that the opposition believes Malaysia's notion of human rights is different from the West because of Islam.

But when they were in power, they treated the Rohingya Muslims appallingly and many died in internment camps run by the immigration.

The whole of the Home Ministry needs a clean-up. It is shocking the way Malaysia treats migrant workers.

Max Fury: The law must come down hard on the employers who went through these traffickers to procure workers.

It cannot just be a fine but a jail term and whipping.

The directors of the company will be held accountable. When there is no demand, then the human trade will stop.

OceanMasterII: Somewhere in this despicable value chain, there have to be people in power who are entrusted to prevent such criminal activities but prevent up in the dark side, corrupted to the core.

This is the area that should be cleaned up once and for all.

P_Mammen: Well done and congratulations to Malaysiakini for a brilliant piece of investigative journalism.

When we hear the word “slavery”, it invokes images that seem relegated firmly to the past.

Statistics show modern-day slavery is far more rampant, and trapped labour is just one of them.

There is more to this very tragic man-eat-man business.

RedGopher0486: Human trafficking, exploitation and slavery are very lucrative businesses. To reduce or eliminate it:

1. The government must implement and enforce an hourly dignified minimum wage applicable to locals and foreigners in all forms of employment contracts.

2. Move away from foreign labour-intensive industries.

3. Allow employers to employ employees directly from any country they prefer through the respective country's local embassies and high commissions (if the countries are prepared to participate, if not, their government-appointed parties).

4. Stop all outsourcing work involving the processing of foreign workers' employment.

5. The law should be amended to impose a minimum fine for any type of human trafficking/exploitation/ abuse/slavery not less than RM10,000,000.

This must include confiscation of assets and from beneficiaries and community service of not less than seven hours per working day for not less than 10 years for each offence committed against each migrant.

Kilimanjaro: Do you think this problem can be solved? I don't think so.

They will form another committee and drag on for the next few years.

People have a grip on why this is happening but there is neither will nor sincere desire to eradicate this problem.

If the Malaysiakini team can unearth this, why can't the authorities too?

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is wrong to say that the country is going to go to the dogs. It has already gone to the dogs.

apanama is back: Reading this news brings me back to 15 years ago, about a company boss's story about how some immigration officers were running an illegal hiring scheme similar to this lucrative scheme in the story, after office hours.

The boss needed people and contacted them. He paid the amount but in the end, the people did not turn up.

He lost the money and could not report it because he went about it illegally.

What I am trying to say is:

1. First, this kind of scheme had been running for years/decades, undetected.

2. Secondly, this particular company, exposed by Malaysiakini, could be running under the blessing of someone in the immigration itself or even the Human Resources Ministry.

There is mention of a “Datuk”.

They will usually joke as follows; "Kasi dia orang kenyang, kita boleh jalan” (feed them well and all is good)

By the way, thank you to Malaysiakini for undertaking this sting-like operation to expose these illegal things.

Will any action be taken after this? A big no. Why?

What happened to the Malaysiakini story about period spot checks? Does anyone still remember? Sudah lupa? (have we forgotten)

This exclusive story may face the same fate as the period check story.

In the beginning, there will be some noises here and there.

Once the state assemblies dissolve, this news will be forgotten and the "Datuk" will be laughing all the way to the bank. Majulah Malaysiaku!

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