"Malaysia says firms that hired stranded migrant workers to face action", 15 May 2023

Malaysia said [...] it would sanction firms and strip away licences from recruitment agencies involved in hiring migrant workers who later found themselves stranded without jobs in the country.

Reuters reported [...] that hundreds of South Asian migrants, mostly from Bangladesh and Nepal, had been left in limbo after arriving in Malaysia, where they were told that jobs promised to them in exchange for steep recruitment fees were no longer available. Malaysia announced a probe last month.

[...]

In response to Reuters' queries, Malaysia's Labour Department vowed to take action against recruitment agencies and companies found to have misused government quotas and licences for hiring migrant workers.

The department said in an emailed statement it would conduct a thorough investigation, and would not compromise on any unlawful activities that could "lead to any form of forced labour".

[...]