KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 19 ― The majority of criminals in Malaysia are locals, the police said today amid claims that an influx of Bangladeshi workers would lead to terrorism and rape.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIGP) Datuk Seri Noor Rashid Ibrahim said, however, that the purported government plan to bring in 1.5 million workers from Bangladesh would increase social ills like prostitution.
“The highest contributors to crime are locals. However, there are also migrant workers who are involved in crime such as robbery, house break-ins and the likes of that.
“But will the influx of foreign workers increase crime rates? I say yes ― because of some of them. However, the largest contributor are still the locals,” Noor Rashid told reporters here attending a road-safety awareness event at KL Sentral.
The police official also highlighted “social ills brought by Bangladeshis and other foreign workers”, such as going to brothels.
The Human Resources Ministry said separately today that Malaysia was not importing 1.5 million workers from Bangladesh, clarifying that it was an overall figure of those seeking overseas employment in 139 countries, not those going to Malaysia alone.
Pertubuhan Rapat Malaysia (Rapat) president A. Rajaretinam said recently that the influx of migrant workers here was a major threat to national security and health, claiming that these foreigners could promote terrorism like that of the Islamic State (IS).
The coalition of non-government organisations (NGOs) also claimed there would be dire socio-economic repercussions, including a spike in terror activities, rape cases and loss of business opportunities for locals.
Later, the same view was repeated by the Malay Consultative Council (MPM), another coalition that is said to represent over 50 Malay-Muslim NGOs.
At MPM’s press conference, the group’s secretary-general Datuk Dr Hasan Mad alleged that some foreign workers bring with them new diseases, which he warned could spread to locals during their term of employment in Malaysia.
