"SE Asia MPs calls on Malaysia to halt migrant crackdown", 07 August 2017

Southeast Asian lawmakers…urged Malaysia to halt a crackdown on migrant workers that has seen more than 6,000 foreigners detained….

…Malaysia is a magnet for migrant workers from across Asia in sectors ranging from construction to agriculture, but several million are believed to be undocumented.

Authorities started rounding up illegal workers after an official programme to register undocumented foreigners….

…ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, urged all Southeast Asian governments to adopt a binding regional treaty on migrant workers, aimed at protecting workers and their rights.

Leading Malaysian migrant rights group Tenaganita said it was "upset to see such large numbers of undocumented workers including refugees being handcuffed, arrested, criminalised, sent to prisons and detention centres".