PUTRAJAYA (Sept 2): A Bangladeshi junior minister does not speak for his government when claiming Malaysia planned to recruit 200,000 workers from the country, said Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said.

He said Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R Ramanan had confirmed the matter.

“It was issued by, as I understand, a junior minister. Therefore, it does not represent an official decision of the Bangladesh government,” he told a press conference after the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

On another matter, Fahmi said the cabinet had been informed that 1,476 Myanmar nationals held at Immigration depots would be repatriated at the end of this month.

He said all of them had signed documents agreeing to return to Myanmar.

“Of the more than 10,000 Myanmar nationals detained at Immigration depots, 5,000 names were screened by the Home Ministry and subsequently submitted to the Myanmar Embassy.

“From that list, Myanmar has agreed to receive 1,476 of them, and the repatriation will take place at the end of September,” he said.

Fahmi also said the Foreign Ministry had received assurances from the Myanmar government that the safety of those being repatriated would be guaranteed.

“Wisma Putra and, in particular, the foreign minister have informed us that nothing will happen to them. What has been agreed and understood with the Myanmar authorities is that the 1,476 out of the 5,000 who have been approved for return will be safe in Myanmar,” he said.

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