FMT 16th June 2025: Multinational corporation SONY comes to aid of Bangladeshi former Kawaguchi workers in modern slavery case in Malaysia
Sony steps in to ease the burden on 283 reported to have gone without pay for seven months.
PETALING JAYA:
Sourced from: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2025/06/16/multinational-corporation-comes-to-aid-of-bangladeshi-workers
A Japanese multinational corporation has provided monetary aid to some 283 Bangladeshi workers who had reportedly gone without pay for seven months last year under a different company, an international human rights group said.
Sony took “meaningful and proactive steps to assist the workers, including providing much-needed financial assistance”, International Rights Advocates (IRAdvocates) said.
However, it did not disclose the amount.
“IRAdvocates applauds Sony for taking a constructive approach towards this situation and is grateful to Sony for its cooperation,” the group’s founder and executive director, Terrence Collingsworth, said in a statement.
Collingsworth said that when issues concerning the migrant workers first surfaced, IRAdvocates raised the matter with their previous employer, Kawaguchi Nanufacturing Sdn Bhd, and certain manufacturers who were Kawaguchi’s downstream customers.
One such manufacturer was Sony, he said.
To its credit, Sony raised its concerns with Kawaguchi and requested that the company promptly implement corrective measures after the allegations emerged, he said.
He said Sony also stopped doing business with Kawaguchi.
Collingsworth said the Kawaguchi case is a powerful reminder that change is possible when corporations genuinely embrace accountability and collaboration.
“IRAdvocates applaud Sony’s constructive action, highlighting a path forward where companies uphold human rights sincerely, beyond mere words and empty promises,” he said.
On Dec 18, it was reported that Kawaguchi had agreed to pay its foreign employees their overdue salaries, with the Putrajaya labour office agreeing to arrange for them to be employed by other companies.
The company reached the decision five days after the workers held a peaceful protest outside the factory in Port Klang to demand the salaries owed to them.
Separately, migrant labour rights activist Andy Hall, who referred the case to Collingsworth late last year, said Sony should be applauded for emulating Daikin Industries Ltd.
In December, it was reported that Daikin, the world’s largest air-conditioner manufacturer, contributed US$12,000 to the affected foreign workers in emergency food and medical aid. It also provided an additional amount of financial aid to each worker.
“The money Sony has provided is significant and will provide yet more respite for these victims of modern slavery, who remain in severe situations of debt bondage,” Hall told FMT.
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Associated Press 21st May 2025: Migrant workers in Malaysia seek unpaid wages from Kawaguchi, a supplier to Japanese companies Panasonic, Sony, Daikin, Hisense and others
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Around 280 Bangladeshi migrant workers in Malaysia are demanding hundreds of thousands of dollars in back wages and other money owed to them after their former employer, a plastic parts supplier to big Japanese companies, closed down.
Original Source: AP News by ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL – May 21, 2025
(Full video on site)
The workers at Kawaguchi Manufacturing’s factory in Port Klang, Malaysia’s largest port city, were left stranded when the company withheld their wages for up to eight months before shutting down late last year. The workers have filed complaints in Malaysia and back home in Bangladesh.
Such disputes have become a diplomatic sore point between Bangladesh and Malaysia, drawing scrutiny on a small but powerful group of recruitment agencies and middlemen who monopolize such jobs.
Asif Nazrul, an adviser to Bangladesh’s expatriate welfare ministry, met with Malaysia’s Home Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong in Kuala Lumpur last week. Officials were due to meet again Wednesday in Dhaka, the Bangladesh capital.
The interim government that took over in Bangladesh after the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has placed a higher priority on the plight of migrant workers who often get trapped in debt after paying exorbitant recruitment fees to work in dismal conditions for little pay.
Labor advocates say the situation is worsening as more people from across South Asia, sometimes losing their livelihoods due to climate change, seek work in Southeast Asia.
Trade tensions between the U.S. and China have accelerated that trend as factories move from China to places in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and elsewhere.
Workers allege abuse
The workers have received just 251,000 ringgit ($58,101) of the more than 3 million ringgit ($694,444) in back wages that a Malaysian labor tribunal ordered Kawaguchi to pay. Many have found new jobs but still have heavy debts after borrowing money to pay hefty recruitment fees.
The workers allege they were sometimes required to work without breaks for 24-hour shifts and on holidays with no paid overtime, making plastic casings for televisions and air conditioners. They say Kawaguchi confiscated their passports, provided inadequate housing and delayed their visa renewals.
The factory shut down in December, soon after Sony Group and Panasonic Holdings Corp., two of Kawaguchi’s main customers, halted their orders in response to the allegations against their supplier.
After the factory closed, the workers say Malaysian officials forcibly sent many of them to another city some 360 kilometers (220 miles) away to toil in new factory jobs without giving them any information. They were kept in filthy shipping containers converted into dormitories. Another 80 workers were told to work in palm oil plantations — but refused.
Most made their way back to Port Klang to seek work and chip away at the debts that have been accumulating. It took nearly three months for them to get permission from the Malaysian government to switch jobs.
The Associated Press got no response to multiple requests to Kawaguchi for comment. Malaysia’s labor department also didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Md Kabir Hossain’s case is typical. The 19-year-old said he borrowed more than $4,000 to get to Malaysia from his hometown Rangpur in Bangladesh in November 2023, after his family’s textile shop began to fail. The family’s sole wage earner, he defaulted on one of his loans and wasn’t able to send money back home, as his family struggled to keep their shop going.
“I am constantly worried about what will happen to my family,” he said.
Another worker, Parvez Azam said he didn’t know how much longer he could keep going. “If this goes on, we’ll die here,” he said.
Wider trends across developing Asia
Factories in Malaysia and other countries in Southeast Asia rely on migrant workers, often from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal, to fill labor-intensive jobs in manufacturing, plantations, or construction that local workers won’t perform for the wages offered.
The cost of recruitment and migration from Bangladesh to Malaysia is among the most expensive in the world, according to the International Labor Organization’s office in Bangladesh.
The official recruitment fee is about $650 per worker. But all the workers at Kawaguchi said they paid nearly $5,000. The loans they took to pay such sums has pushed them into debt bondage as they labor to pay off ever mounting debts.
In 2023, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia should end use of recruitment agents, describing the system as “modern slavery.” But a 2024 study of Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia found that more than 70% had spent at least half of their wages to pay off recruitment debts. Most have at least two loans and many said they were misled about their wages.
Nearly everyone who migrates overseas from Bangladesh, one of the countries most affected by climate change, has suffered at least one form of modern slavery, like withholding of wages or physical violence, according to a study by the London-based think tank International Institute for Environment and Development.
Mohamad Mohosin, 38, said he moved to Malaysia when his crops failed because of extreme weather. After going months without being paid his debt has spiraled, forcing his large family in Bangladesh to borrow still more money. “My family is in trouble,” he said.
Among migrant workers, Bangladeshis often end up in the riskiest jobs, such as plantation work where they can catch mosquito-borne diseases, or physically demanding factory or construction roles, where the likelihood of accidents is higher, said Shariful Islam Hasan of BRAC.
“Despite the high risk and the high migration cost, salaries are too low,” he said.
Seeking help from Japan
Panasonic, Sony and Daikin, three of Kawaguchi’s former main customers among about a dozen, agreed to cover an estimated $1.3 million of the recruitment costs paid by the workers. It’s unclear how much each company is contributing.
“This doesn’t cover all the workers’ costs, including interest rates of up to 30% they must pay on their loans,” said Andy Hall, a British labor activist who has been helping the workers. Many have also defaulted on their debts after going months without wages.
“They’re absolutely desperate and they’re at very high risk of falling into even worse situations,” Hall said.
Daikin settled with the workers, agreeing to pay them more, although it says it accounted for only 1% to 2% of Kawaguchi’s orders. The air conditioner manufacturer told AP it was working with human rights groups to resolve any remaining issues.
Panasonic said it was “proportionally reimbursing the recruitment fees” paid by workers and had asked Kawaguchi to correct labor violations. It said it tried to support Kawaguchi but had to disengage from the company due to its financial woes and anticipated production problems.
Sony told AP its code of conduct prohibits abusive labor practices in its supply chain. After investigating, it demanded corrective measures. “When our demands were not satisfied, we terminated our relationship with this supplier,” it said.
The workers are seeking more help and lawyer Terry Collingsworth of U.S.-based International Rights Advocates, who is representing them, said that they were in discussions with Sony and Panasonic.
“We are not asking you to admit liability. We are asking you to comply with your public commitment to remediate when one of your suppliers violates the human rights of its workers,” said a Jan. 16 letter from Collingsworth to Sony and Panasonic.
___
Ghosal covers the intersection of business and climate change in southeast Asia for The Associated Press. He is based out of Hanoi in Vietnam.
3rd May 2025: FMT – Overdue wages still unpaid despite labour tribunal consent order, say Bangladeshi ex-Kawaguchi workers (supplying Daikin, Hisense, Panasonic, and Sony) when filing Bangladesh and Malaysia Complaints
Migrant rights activist Andy Hall says the workers from Bangladesh received only a first instalment of RM1,000 in January, and a second installment due in April had yet to be paid, despite labour tribunal consent order.
Original Source: FMT by Alysha Edward – 3rd May 2025
PETALING JAYA: More than 40 former migrant workers from Bangladesh have lodged official complaints in Bangladesh and Malaysia against plastics component supplier Kawaguchi Manufacturing over unpaid overdue wages, a migrant rights activist said.
According to Andy Hall, the workers said they received only a first repayment instalment of RM1,000 in January. A second instalment, due in April, had yet to be paid.
The complainants are among 251 workers who were to receive a total of almost RM3 million in overdue salaries in an agreement reached in December after the workers staged a peaceful protest at the company’s factory in Port Klang.
Some of the workers had gone without pay for seven months last year.
Bahasa Malaysia Version
3rd May 2025: FMT – Tunggakan gaji belum dibayar, kata bekas pekerja Kawaguchi
Tunggakan gaji belum dibayar, kata bekas pekerja Kawaguchi
Original Source: FMT by Alysha Edward – 3rd May 2025
Aktivis hak asasi migran Andy Hall berkata pekerja hanya menerima ansuran pertama RM1,000 pada Januari dan ansuran kedua pada April belum dilangsai.
PETALING JAYA: Lebih 40 bekas pekerja migran Bangladesh membuat aduan rasmi di Bangladesh dan Malaysia terhadap pembekal komponen plastik Kawaguchi Manufacturing berhubung tunggakan gaji, kata seorang aktivis hak asasi manusia.
A spokesman for 22 workers who petitioned the labour department in Port Klang on Wednesday said 12 of them were still without jobs.
“We cannot look for jobs because our visas have expired, through no fault of our own, and we cannot even return home.
“We also buy and share food among ourselves,” the spokesman said, adding that they have had to dip into their savings or borrow money from friends to get through the day.
The Port Klang labour office said it was still investigating claims by the former workers of Kawaguchi Manufacturing.
“These workers can file a complaint with the nearest labour department and enquire about their status,” the department’s spokesman told FMT.
FMT has contacted Kawaguchi for comment. Calls to a number provided by the affected workers, said to be that of a company representative, went unanswered.
Kawaguchi Manufacturing supplies components to major Japanese air conditioning and electronics brands.
Hall said 22 other former Kawaguchi workers who returned to Bangladesh had lodged a complaint with the expatriates ministry in Dhaka.
The workers in Bangladesh said they will petition the Malaysian high commission in Dhaka today on the same issue, while the workers in Malaysia said they will go to the Bangladeshi high commission to seek its assistance.
Hall said the Kawaguchi case is symbolic of systemic modern slavery, forced labour, impunity, corruption, and the absence of the rule of law in Malaysia.
“At this stage, I have little genuine hope or expectation that officials in either Bangladesh or Malaysia will assist the workers to access justice and their owed wages for past slave labour,” he told FMT.
“So, what else can the workers do but complain to officials in both countries tasked to protect them from such abuse?”
The labour department is believed to have opened eight investigation papers against Kawaguchi and accommodation providers for the overdue salaries and lack of certification for their accommodation facilities.
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Bangla Tribune Report
07 May 2025, 20:57
Workers returning from Malaysia submit letter with passport numbers to ministry
Thirty-nine Bangladeshi workers have lodged a complaint in front of the Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry in Dhaka demanding their unpaid salaries from Malaysia’s Kawaguchi Manufacturing, a supplier of plastic raw materials to well-known companies like Sony and Panasonic.
They had previously written to the ministry demanding their unpaid salaries.
Following the ministry’s assurance, they submitted their letter again on Wednesday (May 7) along with their passport numbers. It was learnt from the workers that they are owed seven months’ salary by the company.
Workers based in Dhaka said, “We owe seven months’ salary arrears to the Kawaguchi company in Malaysia. A case was filed in a Malaysian court last year in this regard. The Malaysian court ordered the company to pay the arrears.”
Harun Or Rashid, the aggrieved worker, said, “The court ordered the company to pay 1,000 ringgit in cash and ordered the company to pay the remaining amount in 1,000 ringgits every month. The company paid us 1,000 ringgit and sent us back home. According to the court’s order, we were supposed to receive the money on April 15, but the company did not pay any money. When we contacted the company, they are not paying us the money we owe, even after taking time for days.”
Harun said, “We contacted the ministry after arriving in the country. The ministry asked us to provide our written complaint and passport number. We submitted them to the ministry today. We are seeking the ministry’s cooperation so that we can get the money we are owed.”
It was found that 251 people are owed salaries by this Malaysian company.
Their seven months’ salary has been outstanding for a long time. 39 workers who returned to the country have approached the ministry to recover their salary.
On the other hand, 251 workers who filed a lawsuit in a Malaysian court alleged that they were supposed to receive about 3 million ringgit in salary as per the contract. But some workers have been working without salary for seven months.
One of the 22 workers who filed a complaint with the Port Klang Labor Department on Wednesday, April 30, said 12 of them are still unemployed.
They are not getting jobs because their visas have expired. The workers say it is not their fault. They are not even able to return home. They are having to borrow money from friends.
Andy Hall, a rights activist working on labor rights in Asia, told the Bangla Tribune that they received only the first installment of 1,000 ringgit in January. Despite a court order, the second installment of salary due in April has not yet been paid.
“At this stage, I have little real hope or expectation that officials in Bangladesh or Malaysia will help workers get justice and the wages they deserve for their past slave labor,” Hall said.
“What else can workers do other than complain to officials in both countries who are responsible for protecting them from such abuse?”
Incidentally, on August 30 last year, workers protested outside the company demanding their arrears of wages.
In response, the company retaliated with threats and took disciplinary action against some workers. Measures were taken to file false charges against the workers and send them back to Bangladesh. As a result, four workers were blacklisted and sent back to the country, with a five-year ban on their re-entry into Malaysia. Some of the affected workers have been transferred to other companies. Out of 251 workers, 181 were assigned to other companies between December and February. In January, Kawaguchi sent 23 workers back home with plane tickets.
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All the latest on the Kawaguchi case, including company responses and timeline, available on the BHRRC website outlined below and at https://www.bhrrc.org/en/latest-news/malaysia-plastics-co-supplying-to-panasonic-sony-daikin-accused-of-violating-rights-of-bangladeshi-workers-with-indicators-of-forced-labour-incl-cos-responses/
*International Trade Today January 15, 2025 Vol. 41, No. 10: Foreign Workers to Sue Sony and Panasonic Over Forced Labor *
Foreign workers from Bangladesh are preparing to sue Sony and Panasonic in U.S. court over forced labor conditions at their former employer in Malaysia, Kawaguchi Manufacturing, a plastics supplier for the two companies.
The workers are alleging “exploitation, mistreatment, and non-payment of wages,” migrant worker rights activist Andy Hall said in a blog post.
Additionally, he alleges that the workers were forced to pay recruitment fees and had their passports taken away by the company.
Hall already has submitted a trade violation complaint with CBP.
The companies, which confirmed the allegations of forced labor at Kawaguchi in December (see 2412060061), offered to pay the workers $4,400 each, which would not be enough to cover the recruitment fees.
“A number of workers are still in significant debt and at risk of debt bondage,” Hall said.
The lawyer representing the workers, Terrence Collingsworth of International Rights Advocates, said that he is “frankly disgusted” by the companies’ lack of responsiveness, but that he is sending a third letter this week to try to settle the matter out of court, not having received replies to his first two letters.
“There’s no question that we will file a case [in court] if they don’t wish to be more constructive,” Collingsworth said.
Collingsworth also is appealing a decision by the Court of International Trade that his organization doesn’t have standing to challenge CBP’s inaction in responding to a petition to ban cocoa from Cote d’Ivoire (see 2408160009 and 2408080049).
“The companies were hoping to just pay the recruitment fees. But they worked under forced labor conditions, they were trafficked and are owed compensation,” Collingsworth said.
“My interest is getting the workers a reasonable amount of money in addition to the [$4,400] so they can move on.”
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ABC News: Over 200 migrant workers at a plastics factory in Malaysia that supplies to Sony and Panasonic haven’t been paid for over six months
Forced overtime, withheld passports and dirty living conditions are other abuses that have been raised to the Japanese electronics giants.
After investigating the abuses they are severing ties with the company. But activists say
“cutting and running” leaves workers in a more precarious position.
See ABC’s full story at https://www.instagram.com/reel/DD6WXQjJxj5/?igsh=amVwdDFmOTU4NWk5 and https://amp.abc.net.au/article/104705876
—
OECD COMPLAINT FILED
Employees of Kawaguchi Manufacturing vs. Kawaguchi Manufacturing, Sony and Panasonic
Labour rights violations at supplier to Sony and Panasonic
https://www.oecdwatch.org/complaint/employees-of-kawaguchi-manufacturing-vs-kawaguchi-manufacturing-sony-and-panasonic/Date filed: 27 December 2024
Countries of harm
Current status
FiledSector
NCP
Allegations
On 27 December 2024, 251 workers of Kawaguchi Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd. (“Kawaguchi Manufacturing”), represented by lawyers, filed a complaint against Kawaguchi Manufacturing, Sony Corporation (“Sony”) and Panasonic Corporation (“Panasonic”) at the Japanese NCP. The complaint concerns alleged labour rights violations at Kawaguchi Manufacturing in Malaysia and their links to Sony and Panasonic.
The complainants allege that workers at Kawaguchi Manufacturing have experienced violations indicative of forced labour, including non-payment of wages, confiscation of passports, intimation and charging of high recruitment fees, among other labour rights violations. They allege that Sony and Panasonic, who sourced from Kawaguchi Manufacturing, failed to adequately engage with the workers and provide for remediation. They allege that Sony and Panasonic discontinued their business with Kawaguchi Manufacturing instead, which drove Kawaguchi Manufacturing to cease operations.
The complainants are seeking repayment of unpaid wages and recruitment fees and compensation for mental damage.
More details
Defendant
Company in violation
Other companies involved
Complainants
Affected people
Documents
- 27 December 2024 Complaint filed to Japan NCP Complainants
Updated FULL Kawaguchi Case Report (Jan 2025)Download
Additional Background Readingon Kawaguchi:
FMT 23rd Feb 2025: Two-thirds of Malaysia’s ex-Kawaguchi company employees have found new jobs but remain in situation of acute modern slavery, activist reveals
22nd Jan 2025: Industriall – Forced labour allegations at Kawaguchi, Malaysia
FMT 7th Jan 2025: Kawaguchi foreign workers in Malaysia preparing to sue 2 prominent Japanese companies, Sony and Panasonic, in U.S. courts
FMT 31st Dec 2024: Kawaguchi workers ‘forced’ to relocate, claims activist (Sony, Panasonic and Daikin Malaysian supplier case)
26th December 2024: FMT – Penniless and unemployed, Kawaguchi’s foreign workers in Malaysia hoping to secure jobs before Ramadan (Sony, Panasonic & Daikin supplier case)
FMT 22nd Dec 2024: Resolve migrant worker pay issues to avoid economic jeopardy, says ex-MP
20th December 2024: FMT – Air-con giant Daikin comes to rescue of unpaid modern slavery victims and foreign Kawaguchi workers (Kawaguchi supplies Sony, Panasonic and Daikin – Daikin smallest buyer)
20th December 2024 – “Seven months of unpaid wages: ‘When will I be free?’” Malaysia: Report on Kawaguchi (Sony, Panasonic, Daikin and Hisense/Sanden supplier) released by PARC
Malay Mail 19th Dec 2024: Malaysian Labour Dept to assist Kawaguchi workers securing new jobs, firm agrees to settle over RM3m backdated pay in agreement described as ‘offensive,’ global buyers Sony, Panasonic and Daikin remain silent
Malay Mail 18th Dec 2024: Electronics maker faces Labour Dept inquiry Over RM806,310 in unpaid wages, substandard housing to Bangladeshi workers
NST 17th Dec 2024: 8 investigation papers opened against Kawaguchi, accomodation providers
ABC 15th Dec 2024: Sony, Panasonic ‘cut and run’ from Malaysian supplier Kawaguchi accused of wage theft
18th Oct 2024: Sony admits own audit found probable labour code violation by Malaysian contractor Kawaguchi
19th Sept 2024 Malay Mail: Panasonic, Sony and Daikin vows probe into forced labour claim against Malaysian contractor
17th Sept 2024 FMT: Japanese electronics giants probe Malaysian supplier Kawaguchi after delayed salary payments
BHRRC 17th Sept 2024 – Malaysia: Plastics co. supplying to Panasonic, Sony & Daikin accused of violating rights of Bangladeshi workers; incl. indicators of forced labour; incl. cos. responses
6th Sept 2024: Malay Mail – Malaysian HR Ministry opens probe into slave labour claims against contractor (Kawaguchi) for Sony, Panasonic and Daikin
5th Sept 2024: FMT – Malaysian labour dept probes Bangladeshi workers’ forced labour claims
31st Aug 2024 Somoy News: Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia remain unpaid for 5 months
Updated Japanese company responses also available on BHRRC site (see below)
Malaysia: Plastics co. supplying to Panasonic, Sony & Daikin accused of violating rights of Bangladeshi workers with indicators of forced labour; incl. cos. responses
We are all living a miserable life in Malaysia, not being able to eat, pay our debts and send money to our families.
Migrant worker, Kawaguchi Manufacturing
In September 2024, it was reported that over 200 Bangladeshi workers employed by Kawaguchi Manufacturing, a plastics company in Malaysia, have been experiencing human rights violations, including several indicators of forced labour. Kawaguchi allegedly supplies to major electronics firms, including Panasonic, Sony and Daikin, according to the Malay Mail.
Free Malaysia Today reported that migrant rights activist Andy Hall shared interviews with workers alleging labour rights abuse, including:
- Wage theft: the workers say they have not been paid for six months, which has caused distress on both them and their families back home.
- Recruitment fee charging: the workers say they were charged high fees for their jobs and took out loans to cover the fees.
- Denial of leave: the workers say they are forced to work seven days a week without public holidays or overtime pay. In one video, a worker says he is forced to work 12 hours a day.
- Unsuitable living conditions: the workers say they live in overcrowded and unhygienic accommodation.
- Failing to renew visas: some of the workers are allegedly without visas as the company failed to renew them. This has left them undocumented and vulnerable.
- Intimidation: the workers who raised concerns have been threatened with detention, deportation and police action. Four workers have been sent back to Bangladesh “as punishment”, according to Free Malaysia Today.
- Passport confiscation: the company allegedly withheld workers’ passports.
The Selangor labour department is now investigating the allegations.
The Malaysian based plastics industry, which is indeed an essential part of many international companies and brands globally supply chains and finished products, currently consists of conditions prevalent for systemic migrant forced labour.
Andy Hall, migrant worker activist
In September, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Daikin, Panasonic, and Sony to respond to the findings, and: a) confirm whether they still source from Kawaguchi Manufacturing, and/or the date when they stopped sourcing from the company; b) disclose any human rights due diligence they undertake prior to entering into contracts with suppliers and when monitoring working conditions at suppliers; c) disclose the steps they have taken to investigate the abuse reported; and, d) disclose the steps they have taken to remedy workers for the fee-charging, intimidation of protesting workers, and wage theft.
Daikin, Panasonic and Sony’s responses can be read in full below.
The Resource Centre was not able to contact Kawaguchi Manufacturing to invite a response to the allegations; if a response is received in future this page will be updated accordingly.
In October 2024, Daikin and Sony disclosed updates on their investigations into the case. Their updates can be read in full below.
Towards the end of November, Malaysian news outlets reported on workers’ concerns that buyers were halting sourcing from the factory in light of the ongoing allegations, citing moulds and other equipment being removed from the factory. About 60 workers at the time of that reporting had filed four separate reports with the labour department, claiming they are still owed unpaid wages and unauthorised salary deductions of almost USD180k.
Japanese companies Sony and Panasonic
The Resource Centre to all three buyers for a second time to understand how any exiting was being undertaken in line with responsible procurement principles. We asked the Japanese companies to confirm whether they had terminated sourcing, when this occurred, and which stakeholders were consulted in the decision-making. Panasonic confirmed it had completed all payments and accepted delivery delays from Kawaguchi, but was engaging “other suppliers who can provide the parts for the products currently being ordered by our customers, to whom certain molds were transferred”. Sony said it “had to conclude to discontinue the transaction with the company”. In its response, Daikin highlighted that its orders from Kawaguchi only account for 1-2% of its orders and stated the company would be unable to support Kawaguchi on its own, once Sony and Panasonic stopped sourcing from the factory.
In December 2024, 251 workers of Kawaguchi Manufacturing filed a complaint against Kawaguchi Manufacturing, Sony and Panasonic at the Japanese NCP.
In January 2025, Daikin, Sony and Panasonic were invited to provide updates on the state of remedy for Kawaguchi workers since mid-December 2024 and respond to allegations the settlement reached is inadequate. Developments reported since include:
- Following a five-day worker protest, remediation was discussed at a mediation with Kawaguchi in December but the settlement – which was reportedly agreed to span January 15 2025 until November 15 2025 – is alleged to be “inadequate” and a “formality”.
- Food provision is an acute issue as workers have been surviving on credit-bought food and loans are now due to shopkeepers given previous assurances of backpay by December 2024. While Daikin reportedly donated to distribute food through a local charity, there is no reporting of Sony or Panasonic doing similarly.
- While the labour office had promised the workers transfer to alternative employment, workers reported they were “forced” to accept these jobs, could not negotiate and were not informed of the terms of their employment, and feared continued exploitation.
Latest responses from Daikin and Panasonic are available in full below. Sony did not itself respond but highlighted the recent statement released by the Responsible Business Alliance, of which Sony and Panasonic are members.
In February 2025, Free Malaysia Today reported that 181 of the 251 foreign workers secured new jobs.
Timeline
- Two-thirds of ex-Kawaguchi employees have found new jobs, activist revealsDate: 23 Feb 2025 Content Type: Article
- Panasonic update to Kawaguchi case Date: 20 Feb 2025 Content Type: Disclosure
- RBA Update on Repayment of Worker Recruitment Fees Related to Kawaguchi Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd.
Date: 18 Feb 2025 Content Type:
RBA Disclosure - Daikin update to Kawaguchi case
Date: 17 Feb 2025
Content Type: Daikin Disclosure - Update re situation for Kawaguchi Manufacturing workers, 7 February 2025Date: 7 Feb 2025 Content Type:
Article by Andy Hall - Forced labour allegations at Kawaguchi, MalaysiaDate: 21 Jan 2025 Content Type: Article Industriall
- Panasonic response re alleged insufficient remedy to Kawaguchi workersDate: 15 Jan 2025 Content Type: Company Response
- Sony non-response re alleged insufficient remedy to Kawaguchi workersDate: 14 Jan 2025 Content Type: Company Response
- 2nd letter from RBA: Repayment of Worker Recruitment Fees Related to Kawaguchi Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd.
Date: 13 Jan 2025 Content Type: Disclosure - Daikin response re alleged insufficient remedy to Kawaguchi workersDate: 10 Jan 2025 Content Type: Company Response
- USA: Kawaguchi Manufacturing migrant workers to file lawsuit against two Japanese companies for alleged exploitationDate: 8 Jan 2025
Content Type: Article – The 251 Bangladeshi workers who were denied pay for seven months by Kawaguchi Manufacturing are preparing to sue two Japanese companies in Washington DC. Led by activist Andy Hall, they seek damages, compensation, and an apology for exploitation and mistreatment. - Kawaguchi workers ‘forced’ to relocate, claims activistDate: 31 Dec 2024 Content Type: Article – Andy Hall says many of them have had to take on new jobs but were not able to negotiate the terms of their employment.
- Employees of Kawaguchi Manufacturing vs. Kawaguchi Manufacturing, Sony and Panasonic
Date: 27 Dec 2024 Content Type: Article OECD WATCH - Penniless and unemployed, foreign workers hoping to secure jobs before RamadanDate: 26 Dec 2024
Content Type: Article – The workers are also hoping to secure a job so they can repay their debts. - Daikin status update re Kawaguchi workers: 20 December 2024Date:
20 Dec 2024 Content Type: Disclosure - Air-con giant comes to rescue of unpaid foreign workersDate: 20 Dec 2024 Content Type: Article – Daikin Industries Ltd gives US$12,000 to help 251 purchase food and aid items.
- Labour Dept to assist Kawaguchi workers in securing new jobs, firm agrees to settle over RM3m backdated payDate: 19 Dec 2024 Content Type: Article
- Kawaguchi to pay foreign workers’ owed salaryDate: 18 Dec 2024 Content Type: Article – An agreement has been reached after a five-hour mediation at the labour office between the employer and a group of foreign workers.
- Sony, Panasonic ‘cut and run’ from Malaysian supplier accused of wage theftDate: 14 Dec 2024 Content Type: Article
- 2nd Daikin response re concerns of contract cutting at Malaysian manufacturer where migrants alleged forced labour5 Dec 2024 Type: Company Response
- 2nd Panasonic response re concerns of contract cutting at Malaysian manufacturer where migrants alleged forced labour5 Dec 2024 Type: Company Response
- 2nd Sony response re concerns of contract cutting at Malaysian manufacturer where migrants alleged forced labour28 Nov 2024 Type: Company Response
- Update: Panasonic disclosure re-allegations of labour rights abuse of Bangladeshi workers at Malaysian supplier28 Nov 2024 Type: Company Response
- Factory workers file claim over RM800,000 in wage arrears, deductions28 Nov 2024 Type: Company Response – Fifty-seven say they are worried Kawaguchi Manufacturing Sdn Bhd’s three major clients might cut ties with them over forced labour allegations.
- Letter from Responsible Business Alliance re alleged forced labour at members’ supplier, Kawaguchi ManufacturingDate:26 Nov 2024 Content Type: Disclosure
- Sony admits own audit found probable labour code violation by Malaysian contractorDate:18 Oct 2024 Content Type: Article
- Update: Sony disclosure re-allegations of labour rights abuse of Bangladeshi workers at Malaysian supplierDate: 16 Oct 2024 Content Type: Disclosure
- Update: Daikin disclosure re-allegations of labour rights abuse of Bangladeshi workers at Malaysian supplierDate: 4 Oct 2024 Content Type: Disclosure
- Panasonic, Sony and Daikin vows probe into forced-labour claim against Malaysian contractorDate: 19 Sep 2024 Content Type: Article
- Japanese electronics giants probe M’sian supplier after delayed salary paymentsDate: 17 Sep 2024 Content Type: Article
- Panasonic response to allegations of labour rights abuse of Bangladeshi workers at Malaysian supplierDate: 17 Sep 2024 Content Type: Company Response
- Sony response to allegations of labour rights abuse of Bangladeshi workers at Malaysian supplierDate: 13 Sep 2024 Content Type: Company Response
- Daikin response to allegations of labour rights abuse of Bangladeshi workers at Malaysian supplierDate: 12 Sep 2024 Content Type: Company Response
- HR Ministry opens probe into slave labour claims against contractor for Sony, Panasonic and DaikinDate: 6 Sep 2024 Content Type: Article
- Labour dept probes Bangladeshi workers’ forced labour claimsDate: 5 Sep 2024 Content Type: Article
- Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia remain unpaid for 5 monthsDate: 31 Aug 2024 Content Type: Article
Key Case Documents/Reports
Updated Kawaguchi report
FULLDownload
OECD COMPLAINT FILE Employees-of-Kawaguchi-vs.-Kawaguchi-Manufacturing-Sony-and-Panasonic-Complaint.pdfDownload
1.15.25 FINAL Legal Notice Letter to Sony and Panasonic.docxDownload
12.22.24 SECOND Legal Notice Letter to SONY Panasonic and Daikin.pdfDownload
11.19.24 FIRST Legal Notice Letter to Sony, Panasonic and Daikin.pdfDownload
RBA Feb 2025 letter Kawaguchi Download
RBA Jan 2025 letter KawaguchiDownload
RBA Nov 2025 letter KawaguchiDownload
RBA Dec 2025 letter KawaguchiDownload
Sony third letter KawaguchiDownload
Sony second letter KawaguchiDownload
Sony first letter KawaguchiDownload
Panasonic fifth letter Kawaguchi Download
Panasonic fourth letter KawaguchiDownload
Panasonic third letter KawaguchiDownload
Panasonic second letter KawaguchiDownload
Panasonic first letter KawaguchiDownload
Daikin first letter KawaguchiDownload
Daikin second letter KawaguchiDownload
Daikin third letter Kawaguchi Download
Daikin fourth letter KawaguchiDownload
Daikin fifth letter KawaguchiDownload
Additional Background Reading on Bangladesh Malaysia migration syndicate:
TBS 23rd May 2025: Malaysia to reopen labour market to Bangaldeshi migrants, syndicate stays but may expand agency list – ‘major modern slavery risk continues: my response’
20th May 2025: BAIRA faction alleged attack during press briefing against Malaysian labour market syndicate
Daily Star 19th May 2025: ‘Job scam’ – 33 Bangladeshis sue Malaysian firm, govt for Tk 4.8cr
Bloomberg EXCLUSIVE 15th May 2025: Malaysia Asks Bangladesh to Withdraw Migrant Labor Probes
16th May 2025 Channel News Asia (CNA): Malaysia to resume recruitment of stranded Bangladeshi workers, vows to protect them from abuse, fraud
FMT 15th May 2025: Bangladesh clears Malaysia of labour abuse claims
Daily Star Editorial 15th May 2025: Don’t let Malaysia recruitment syndicates exploit migrants again – Workers’ rights must be prioritised during bilateral talks
Daily Star 16th May 2025: Malaysia job market – Bangladeshis may be given preference
Star 16th May 2025: Malaysia committed to protecting Bangladeshi workers from exploitation, says Saifuddin
Daily Sun 16th May 2025: Malaysian labour market beckons Bangladeshis again
New Nation 16th May 2025: Malaysia labour market set to reopen
SCMP 15th May 2025: Malaysia, Bangladesh urged to act on labour trafficking before ending migrant worker freeze
‘Thousands’ of Bangladeshis are stranded without jobs in Malaysia after a hiring freeze forced them to overstay illegally, activists say
—
FMT 15th May 2025: Malaysia asks Bangladesh to withdraw migrant labour probes (taken from Bloomberg media)
Daily Star 15th May 2025: Bangladesh Malaysia agrees to recruit ‘large number’ of Bangladeshi workers
Daily Star 14th May 2025: Bangladeshi migrants in malaysia: Dhaka’s uphill battle to break syndicate chains
Daily Sun 15th May 2025: REOPENING OF MALAYSIAN LABOUR MARKET – A new deal or another compromise with syndication?
TBS 14th May 2025: Rights body urges syndicate-free hiring as expatriate adviser visits Malaysia
FMT 14th May 2025: Malaysia-Bangladesh labour talks must address cartel issues, says ex-MP as Bangladeshi Expatriates Advisor Arrives in Malaysia
ProthomAlo 18th April 2025: Bangladesh: Awami League supporters are dropping out, but the ‘Malaysia Circle’ is trying to form again
হোমঅন্যান্য
মালয়েশিয়ায় আবারও সিন্ডিকেটের পাঁয়তারা, সতর্ক করলেন শ্রম অধিকার কর্মী
বাংলা ট্রিবিউন রিপোর্ট
০৭ এপ্রিল ২০২৫, ১৯:০৫ (Syndicates are on the rise again in Malaysia, warns labor rights activist)
FMT 7th Apr 2025: Activist warns of syndicate threat to migrant labour reforms in Malaysia
TBS 8th May 2025: Halt Malaysia worker flow if syndicate persists: Labour stakeholders to govt
Bangla News 24 8th 2025: Fraud in manpower export to Malaysia
That dream is still elusive (Bangladeshi Language)
Ratopati 8th May 2025: Foreign employment: Syndicate of manpower professionals in Nepal tries to exclusively send migrant workers to Malaysia (Nepali language)
Madhyahana Daily 7th May 2025: There Is No Possibility Of Forming A Syndicate In Nepal Malaysian Employment: Nepal Labor Minister Bhandari Statement
SajhaSabal 6th May 2025: Foreign Employment Nepal – Malaysia Employment: Are Recruitment Syndicate Operators in Nepal and Malaysia More Powerful Than the Government? Whose Plan Is This? (Bangladeshi Malaysia like recruitment syndicate fears hit Nepal Malaysia recruitment market) (Nepali Language)
5th May 2025 Daily Star: BAIRA urges govt to reopen Malaysian labour market
5th May 2025 Kalerkantho: Fraud in manpower export to Malaysia – 8 billion taka of workers’ money in Swapan’s pocket
5th May Prothomalo: Bangladesh Memorandum to the Chief Advisor – Demand to open Malaysia’s labor market to all legal agencies
Kalerkantho 1 May, 2025: Swapan-Amin’s luxurious life with workers’ money from Bangladesh/Malaysia migrant worker recruitment scam
Kalerkantho 01 May, 2025: Bangladeshi Workers are living inhumane lives in Bangladesh without getting their money back due to Malaysian recruitment syndicate/scam
30th April 2025 Kalerkantho: Swapan-Amin cycle active again – Fraud in manpower export to Malaysia
5th Nov 2024: Bloomberg – Bangladesh Asks Malaysia to Arrest Businessmen in Migrant Trafficking Case
Important article by PSM/Rani Rasiah 11th Nov 2024 – Extradition call – Justice in sight for migrant worker recruitment fraud victims?
Daily Star 11th Nov 2024: Dhaka, KL must act to end trafficking
FMT 10th Nov 2024: Govt wants Dhaka to clarify extradition request for duo
FMT 7th Nov 2024: Silence not an option, govt told, as Bangladesh seeks duo’s extradition
Free Malaysia Today 6th Nov 2024: Bestinet founder denies misconduct amid report of extradition
CNA 6th Nov 2024: Bangladesh asks Malaysia to arrest and extradite 2 businessmen over alleged migrant worker trafficking and extortion (background article)
6th Nov 2024: Malaysiakini – Amid extradition call, Bestinet founder denies money laundering claim
Malaysiakini 5th Nov 2024: Bangladesh wants M’sia to extradite Bestinet founder, associate
Oct 21st 2024 BBS: Ex-minister Imran Ahmad on 3-day remand in human trafficking case
UCA News 7th Oct 2024: Ending Bangladeshi workers’ Malaysian plight is a test for their leaders
Daily Star 6th Oct 2024: Anwar ibrahim’s visit: A chance to root out graft from labour hiring
SCMP 5th Oct 2024: Malaysia must slash fees, smash cartels to reopen Bangladesh labour market – rights groups
5th Oct 2024: Benar News – Malaysia’s PM Anwar promises Bangladeshi migrant workers will be treated fairly
Reuters Oct 4th 2024: Malaysia PM Anwar Ibrahim to visit Bangladesh, focus on labour issues
Benar News Oct 4th 2024: PM pledges priority for Bangladesh migrant workers who missed out
Daily Star Oct 5th 2024: Diplomacy – Malaysia entry debacle – Anwar Ibrahim to consider issue of Bangladeshi workers
Daily Star Oct 5th 2024: Amending MoU on Malaysia-bound Bangladeshi workers can bring a sea change
Daily Star 5th Oct 2024:
Labour Export – President seeks support from Malaysia
New Age Oct 5th 2024: Malaysian PM pledges new entry of 18,000 migrant workers from Bangladesh
Background Reading:
20th Sept 2024: Prothmalo – Aminul and Ruhul Amin involved in alleged migrant worker syndicate money ‘laundering’ to Malaysia
20th Sept 2024: Scoop – MACC’s Bestinet probe is ‘NFA’, no proof of other money-laundering claims: Azam Baki
20th Sept 2024: Malaysiakini – Bestinet denies money laundering allegations
Daily Star Sept 7th 2024: Dismantling the recruitment syndicate for Malaysian labour market
FMT 7th July 2024: Use independent experts for migrant system audit, says anti-graft group
MALAYSIAKINI 6th July 2024 C4CENTER COMMENT: Massive migrant labour recruiting issues, cops must probe
NST 6th July 2024: Probe foreign labour recruitment misgovernance highlighted by PAC, govt urged
FMT 6th July 2024: Anti-corruption watchdog demands action over govt-Bestinet deal
Malay Mail 6th July 2024: Home minister says will review PAC criticism over migrant worker system launched without contract
Star 5th July 2024: Mutual termination clause in Bestinet contract puts Putrajaya in ‘challenging position’, says Public Accounts Committee report
4th July 2024 BSS News – Expatriates Minister Shofiqur directs returning money to workers who failed to go to Malaysia
4th July 2024 New Age – Bangladeshi Agencies must refund workers unable to go to Malaysia by July 18: ministry
FMT 4th July 2024: Govt urged to heed PAC’s call on migrant worker system
Star 4th July 2024: Human Resources Ministry to conduct internal audit
Star 4th July 2024: PAC uncovers serious flaws
FMT 3rd July 2024: Decide quickly on direction of migrant worker system in Malaysia, Public Accounts Committee tells govt
Vibes 3rd July 2024: Foreign worker management system operating 6 years without a contract
3rd July 2024: The Edge – Public Accounts Committee chastises govt for running foreign worker recruitment system for six years without contract
Malaysiakini 3rd July 2024: BESTINET Probe – Public Accounts Committee chief says ‘Datuk Amin’ not among witnesses
3rd July 2024: The Star – Bestinet told Public Accounts Committee unauthorised users were approved by HR Ministry personnel, report shows
FMT 2nd July 2024: Tenaganita letter to Editor – TIP upgrade no cause for celebration just yet
30th June 2024: Somoy News – Bangladeshi High Court orders disclosure of action on Malaysia migrant worker scam (with 500,000+ victims) in 7 days
Malay Mail 25th June 2024: Home minister sees good things for Malaysian businesses after upgrade to US trafficking ranking
The Star 25th June 2024: Malaysia will strive to reach Tier 1 in Trafficking In Persons report, says Saifuddin
Scoop 25th June 2024: Nation’s improved Tier 2 human trafficking ranking ‘dangerously misleading’, says activist
See also MALAYSIAKINI 25th June 2024: M’sia doesn’t deserve Tier 2 in US human trafficking ranking – activist
Daily Star 26th June 2024: Rights activists criticise Malaysia’s improved ranking
See also Benar News 24th June 2024: Malaysia advances in US State Dept’s world rankings for anti-human trafficking efforts
See also FMT 24th June 2024: Malaysia upgraded to Tier 2 in US human trafficking report
See also Benarma 25th June 2024: Malaysia upgraded to Tier 2 in U.S. TIP Report
See also Focus Malaysia 25th June 2024: Migrant workers’ activist – Malaysia doesn’t deserve Tier 2 upgrade in 2024 US human trafficking report
See also 25th June 2024: Home Ministry welcomes country’s Tier 2 upgrade on Trafficking in Persons 2024 report
See also FMT 25th June 2024: Home ministry open to working with NGOs against human trafficking
See also Star 25th June 2024: Malaysia upgraded to Tier 2 in latest Trafficking in Persons report
SCMP 25th June 2024: Malaysia’s upgrade in US human trafficking index decried as ‘disappointing’ amid migrant worker woes
24th June 2024 Exclusive Analysis: CNA – Extension of Malaysia’s controversial migrant labour ecosystem (involving BESTINET) a blow to PM Anwar’s reform agenda
See New Strait Times 24th June 2024: Malaysian Government Forms Committee to Review Terms of Bestinet’s 3 Year Extension
FMT 24th June 2024: Bestinet contract extended, confirms Saifuddin – ‘Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail says the Cabinet decided in principle on the extension ‘several weeks ago’.
Malay Mail 24th June 2024: Home Minister – Bestinet keeps foreign worker system contract for three more years, but with stricter terms
Bernama News 24th June 2024: Committee set up to Peruse Terms and Conditions of BESTINET Contract
FMT 24th June 2024: Bestinet to surrender control of workers management system under new deal
FMT 24th June 2024: Bestinet should be phased out eventually, says ex-MP
Malaysianist 18th June 2024: Minting money from a migrant services monopoly (click to subscribe for full article)
9th June 2024 Daily Star – Labour Recruitment from Bangladesh to Malaysia: Syndicate wins, migrants suffer, country loses(excellent summary how bad triumphed, carnage resulted – Bangladesh and Malaysia MUST be downgraded to Tier 3 in the upcoming U.S. TIP report!)
Dhaka Tribune 11th June 2024: Deadline extended for Malaysia migration hurdle complaints
Business Standard 11th June: Unrest within Baira over Malaysian labour market, ruckus in AGM as committee members assaulted
Observer 9th June 2024: Around 2,900 complaints lodged by deprived Malaysia-bound migrants
Malaysianist 6th June 2024: The fat cat ruling the Malaysian migrant services roost(allegations of systemic corruption involving Malaysia’s migrant worker management systems – click to subscribe)
Business Standard 5th June 2024: Govt to take action over failure in sending workers to Malaysia: PM Hasina
4th June 2024 Daily Star (Op Ed): Break the syndicates, not the dreams of Malaysia-bound workers
SCMP 4th June 2024 – In Malaysia, business and human rights must go hand in hand, UN rights chief says in KL press conference against backdrop of systemic migrant worker abuses
New Straits Times 4th June 2024: Human rights-centric practices essential for foreign investment, says UN
4th June 2024 Business Standard: NHRC orders probe into alleged embezzlement of Tk150cr from Malaysia-bound workers
4th June 2024 Business Standard: 47,809 Bangladeshis flew to Malaysia in May – highest since labour market reopened in 2022
Daily Sun 3rd June: IRREGULARITIES IN MIGRATION TO MALAYSIA – Recruiting agencies never made accountable(good historical summary)
Business Standard 4th June 2024:Dhaka-20, Feni-2 MPs deny allegations of involvement in embezzling money from Malaysia-bound workers
SCMP 3rd June 2024: ‘Nothing left for me’ as thousands of Bangladeshi workers lose everything in failed bid to work in Malaysia
Daily Star Editorial 3rd June 2024: Must our migrants pay the price every time?
Prothomalo 3rd June 2024 – Bangladesh Labour market: Hapless workers lose all vying to go to Malaysia
Daily Sun 3rd June 2024: IRREGULARITIES IN MIGRATION TO MALAYSIA: Recruiting agencies never made accountable
FMT 3rd June 2024: 17,000 Bangladeshi workers stranded, Dhaka pleads for time
Daily Star 3rd June 2024: 16,970 Bangladeshis failed to reach Malaysia for mismanagement, more destitution and modern slavery will result
Daily Star 3rd June 2024 – Bangladeshi Migrant Worker Exploitation and Malaysian Labour Market Alleged Criminal Syndicate: The agencies picked by KL to blame, Bangladesh tells UN OHCHR
Daily Star 2nd June 2024: Controversial recruitment system to stay 3 more years
Daily Star 2nd June – Jobs in Malaysia: Mismanagement left over 3k workers with no ticket to KL
Daily Star 1st June 2024: Must history repeat itself with the Malaysian labour market’s alleged criminal syndicate trafficking Bangladeshi migrant workers for forced labour
MALAYSIAKINI June 1st 2024: Controversial worker management system BESTINET gets new lease, sources say
1st June 2024 Kalerkantho: Malaysia’s dream ends in deprivation for Bangladeshi migrant workers of criminal syndicate
FMT 31st May 2024: Expect Bangladeshi workers to be stranded and at high risk of modern slavery following Malaysian migration management deadline rush, warns activist
SCMP 31st May 2024: Malaysians shocked by thousands of Bangladeshis crowding at airport to beat deadline for legal work, as UN and activists warn of increased modern slavery risks
CNA 31st May 2024: Over 30,000 workers set to miss deadline to enter Malaysia even as officials clear backlog at KL airport
Prothomalo 31 May 2024 – Bangladesh – Malaysia’s labour market: Repeated syndicates, repeated closure
Prothomalo 31st May 2024: Bangladesh – Thousands of people crowded Dhaka airport without flight tickets to go to Malaysia
31st May 2024 FMT: Govt reaffirms commitment to protect migrant workers’ rights to UN
31st May 2024: The closure of the labor market in Malaysia has shattered the dreams of 31,000 workers
Daily Star 31 May 2024 – Recruitment in Malaysia: Syndicate siphons over $1b out of Bangladesh
Daily Sun 31st May 2024: Biman sends 2,000 migrant workers to Malaysia
Business Standard 31st May 2024: Malaysia-bound workers scammed, stranded at Dhaka airport as deadline set to expire today
Daily Star 30th May 2024: Manpower syndicates beyond Dhaka-KL control
CNA 30th May 2024: ‘Congestion’ at KL airport as employers scramble to bring in thousands of migrant workers before deadline
MALAYSIAKINI 30th May 2023: ‘Migrants influx at KLIA due to employers chasing deadline’
30th May 2024 Benar News: Malaysia’s labor market closed – Migrant workers flock to airports in all countries
29th May Daily Star: Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia – Hiring begins with bribery (UN independent experts say Bangladeshi workers pay up to 8 times for migration alone due to corruption of Malaysia ministries, Bangladesh mission and syndicates)
29th May Daily Star: Airfare to Malaysia surges fivefold
FMT 28th May 2024: Malaysia yet to respond to UN concerns on alleged criminal syndicate trafficking Bangladeshi migrant victims for forced labour in the country(with my full statement included)
30th May Star: Cyclone smashes Bangladeshi workers’ hopes, extension requested
Channel News Asia 25th May 2024: Malaysia’s bid to revamp hiring of foreign workers through controversial BESTINET process faces pushback; activists say country’s reputation at stake
20th May 2024 FMT: Duped Bangladeshi workers won’t impact Malaysia’s US Human trafficking report ranking, says HR Minister Sim
Malay Mail 17th May 2024: Pengerang employer to face Labour Court in Malaysia after failing for months to pay Bangladeshi workers’ wages over RM1m (government statements and my comments included – months on, court agreed mediation settlement unforced, workers allegedly remain in situation akin to acute modern slavery)
16th May 2024: Firm that left over 700 Bangladeshi workers to dry in Pengerang facing possible prosecution (months on, court agreed mediation settlement unforced, workers allegedly remain in situation akin to acute modern slavery)
14th May 2024: FMT – Activists warn of US trafficking report downgrade for Malaysia amid UN criticism
9th May 2024: Study: 96% of Bangladeshi workers going to Malaysia fall into recruitment debt– The study also said that 82% had two or more loans and 73% of workers spent at least 50% to 100% of their monthly salary to repay recruitment debts
4th May 2024: UN agencies concerned over Bangladeshi workers stranded in Malaysia – Joint Statement of ILO, IOM and UNODC on Alleged Criminal Syndicate Trafficking Bangladeshi Workers for Forced Labour in Malaysia
24th April 2024: Address plight of duped Bangladeshi migrant workers in Malaysia in response to UN warning, govt told (more on the ongoing saga of an alleged criminal syndicate trafficking Bangladeshi migrant workers for forced labour in Malaysia)
FMT 19th April 2024: UN experts sound alarm over plight of duped Bangladeshi migrants in Malaysia
For more on Andy Hall’s complaint to the OHCHR see 30th Oct 2023: FMT: Andy Hall refers stranded Bangladeshi workers’ plight in Malaysia to UN Human Rights Council
See Daily Star 23rd Apr 2024: Bangladesh Plight of Migrant Workers – Bangladesh, Malaysia working group meeting likely in May
See Daily Star Editorial 23rd Apr 2024: When even legal migrants suffer – Workers migrating to Malaysia legally deserve better protection
Business Standard 23rd April 2024: Expat Ministry reviews UN complaints on Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia
Prothomalo 23rd April 2024: Bangladesh – Ministry reviewing allegations over Malaysia labour market
BenarNews Malay Language: Pakar PBB gesa Malaysia tangani layanan buruk diterima pekerja Bangladesh (UN expert urges Malaysia to handle bad treatment received by Bangladeshi workers)
Daily Star 19th Apr 2024: UN experts express dismay over situation of Bangladeshi migrants in Malaysia
FMT 19th Apr 2024: PSM, news portal set aside order to stop debate on migrant workers’ plight
Daily Star Editorial 17th April 2024: Save our migrants in Malaysia (more on the crisis caused by an alleged criminal syndicate trafficking Bangladeshi workers for forced labour in Malaysia)
9th April 2024 The Star – Bangladeshi victims of criminal syndicate trafficking worked for forced labour in Malaysia: ‘Cops after workers, not rogue employers’
7th April 2024: SCMP – As Malaysia’s door closes on low-paid migrant workers, companies scramble for staff (and a systemically corrupt migration management and recruitment policy, devoid of the rule of law and leading to impunity and gross exploitation, is revealed)
6th April 2024 Daily Star: A hostel of nightmares for Bangladeshi migrants allegedly trafficked by criminal syndicate for forced labour in Malaysia (and Daily Star Op Ed)
Daily Star Editorial 6th Apr 2024: What will happen to migrants abandoned in Malaysia?
26th March 2024: The Star – Freeze on foreign workers hiring quota in Malaysia stays for now, says HR Minister (with estimated 200,000+ surplus foreign workforce victims facing destitution and abuse)
Daily Star 25th Mar: Malaysia employer framed Bangladeshi workers
Daily Star 24th Mar 2024: Jailed in Malaysia – 3 Bangladesh workers released
Editorial Prothomalo 24th Mar 2024: Malaysian labour market – Take action against the fraud syndicate
FMT 23rd March 2024: PSM calls on Sim to look into arrest of Bangladeshi workers
MALAYSIAKINI 23 Mar 2024: Stranded foreign workers (alleged victims of criminal syndicate trafficking Bangladeshi workers for forced labour in Malaysia) nabbed after labour complaints against employer
23rd March 2024 The Star: Half a million vulnerable and irregular foreign workers disappear from Malaysia’s migrant worker regularization programme as deadline looms in one week
23 Mar 2024 The Star: Verification rate lags as RTK 2.0 deadline approaches
22nd March 2024 Malay Mail: Home minister – Over RM9m in fines collected so far through migrant repatriation programme
22nd March 2024 Protomalo: Malaysian labour market set to be closed again due to syndication
20th March 2024: 93 duped/detained Bangladeshi migrant workers in Malaysia have jobs now, says immigration DG
20th Mar 2024 Business Standard: Bangladeshi workers’ plight in Malaysia: Coalition of migration orgs demand action against recruiting agency syndicate
19th March 2024: FMT – Plantation firms wary of ‘forced labour’ concerns in hiring 200,000 surplus foreign workers/criminal syndicate victims in Malaysia, says minister – indeed he’s right, who wants to take on destitute foreign workers often with US$4-7000 in debt?
17th March 2024: FMT – Malaysia’s treatment of migrant workers utterly shameful
New Age 16th Mar 2024: Bangladeshi government must mend issues to keep Malaysia job market open
15th March 2024 SCMP: Malaysians deride minister’s idea to rebrand palm oil workers as ‘specialised harvesters’
14th March 2024: The Star – Opinion: When work in Malaysia is a con – the criminal syndicate trafficking Bangladeshis for forced labour in Malaysia
FMT 13th March 2024: Bangladeshi migrants file police reports after falling victim to job scam/criminal syndicate trafficking workers from Bangladesh for forced labour in Malaysia
12th March 2024: SCMP – Malaysia to slash migrant workforce amid intolerance, job scam crisis involving Bangladeshi labourers
Daily Star Editorial 10th March 2024: Migrating to a life of unemployment
Daily Star 10th Mar 2024: Distressed in Malaysia – Thousands of Bangladeshi migrants jobless, unpaid or underpaid
9th March 2024: Malay Mail – Activists warn rushed 31st March visa deadline in Malaysia could force firms to source foreign workers unethically (includes my commentary on the abrupt policy change)
9th Mar 2024 The Star: No extension of May 31 foreign worker deadline
NST 9th Mar 2024: Keep recruitment agencies in a list rather than shutting them down, govt told
See also NST 9th Mar 2024: Sourcing migrant workers takes time, ‘not like buying cattle’, employer groups tell govt
NST 8th Mar 2024: Eliminate middlemen from migrant worker recruitment process, govt told
Star 8th Mar 2024: May 31 deadline for foreign workers recruitment under recalibration programme remains, says Saifuddin
Malay Mail 8th Mar 2024: Saifuddin Nasution: No more agents for Bangladeshi worker recruitment
6th Mar 2024: Malaysian government halts foreign worker entry into the country from 31st May 2024 (final calling visa/VDN approval issuance deadline 31st March 2024) as migrant worker management crisis worsens and victims of gross exploitation, unemployment and destitution rise significantly
6th March 2024: Business Times –Sudden change in foreign worker policy by Malaysian government leaves industry in limbo
6th Mar 2024 Edge: Foreign worker intake deadline changes will leave manufacturers in the lurch, says FMM
6th Mar 2024 FMT: Industry players shocked by foreign worker policy change, says FMM
Mar 5 2024: NCCIM urges govt to review unused foreign worker quota deadline
FMT 3rd Mar 2024: Ensure ‘crooks’ do not gain from repatriation programme, says activist
Mar 2nd 2024 The Star: A chance for illegals to go home
Mar 2nd 2024 The Star: Sarawak immigration extends RTK2.0 until June
Mar 1st 2024 FMT: 600,000 foreign workers urged to take easy exit home
Mar 1st 2024 The Star: Use repatriation programme to return home, 600,000 illegals told
Feb 28th 2024 The Star: New programme lets migrants off the hook without being prosecuted
Feb 25th 2024 The Star: Businesses want foreign worker hiring freeze lifted
Jan 31st 2024 NST: Govt to implement Migrant Repatriation Programme starting March
Jan 31st 2024 The Edge: Cabinet agrees to extend freeze on hiring of foreign workers, says home minister
31st Jan 2024 FMT: Migrant repatriation programme set for March 1
31st Jan 2024 The Star: Migration Repatriation Programme to commence on March 1, says Home Ministry
FMT 6th Jan 2024: 171 duped migrant workers deserve compensation, govt told (includes my full statement)
5th Jan 2024: New Strait Times – MCA: Don’t just fine employers, hold ministry accountable as well for unemployed foreign workers
FMT 30th Dec 2023: Migrants being duped into Malaysia because of govt’s failure to curb criminal trafficking syndicates and organised crime network, says activist Andy Hall
30th Dec 2023: New Strait Times – Recruitment agencies accused of deception as Bangladeshi victims speak out on exploitation and fear
29th Dec 2023: Malay Mail – Set up probe on exploitation of migrant workers and new ministry to manage their affairs, Suhakam tells Putrajaya
28th Dec 2023: FMT – Malaysia has entered ‘slave labour’ territory, says ex-MP – Charles Santiago calls for specific set-ups to manage migrant workers
27th Dec 2023: New Strait Times – MTUC demand govt, MACC probe into corrupt recruitment practices of foreign workers
26th Dec 2023: FMT – High recruitment fees make greedy agents bring in workers, says group
25th Dec 2023: FMT – Probe recruitment agents, MACC told after arrest of Bangladeshis
22nd Nov 2023: MALAYSIAKINI – Full probe of migrant worker syndicate, Malaysian HR Minister Sivakumar says
9th Nov 2023: Malaysia – The State of the Nation: Flaws of foreign worker system laid bare in declassified report
30th Oct 2023: FMT: Andy Hall refers stranded Bangladeshi workers’ plight in Malaysia to UN Human Rights Council
20th Oct 2023 Malaysiakini: Long-awaited foreign worker management report declassified in Malaysia (my comments added)
19th Oct 2023: Malaysia facing huge excess of 1/4 million migrant laborers
21st Sep 2023: Malaysian government has 15 source countries for foreign workers – Comments by Andy Hall
20th Sep 2023: Rate of abused Bangladeshi workers’ entry into Malaysia worrying, says migrant rights activist Andy Hall
Aljazeera News TV 10th July 2023 – Migrants in Malaysia: Hundreds left stranded in recruitment scam
