Interesting updates related to migrant worker issues
Only four countries are in the list for now, and Singapore is not among them, reported the Straits Times, September 20, 2011. The four destinations are: Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. It was stressed however, that the list is not final and Singapore could be added later. The originating source was Indonesian news
Din Islam, who almost starved to death in the ten days he was trapped in a shipping container, will finally be going home to Bangladesh after six months in Singapore. He had been allowed to stay while waiting for the coroner 's court proceedings inquiring into the death of his friend Mohammad Alamin. The two
Yahoo News reported on 15 September 2011 that 18 workers from China were recently jailed four weeks each for submitting false educational qualifications in order to secure jobs in Singapore. The full article can be read here. Many of those accused pleaded with the court to understand that they had done so under duress, as
Official policy is in the process of change. An inter-agency anti-trafficking task force was set up in November 2010, co-chaired by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Manpower. Singapore says that it is now using the definition of trafficking in the anti-trafficking protocol (see Singapore falls short of international protocol) as the
The Manpower Ministry (MOM) said it is currently reviewing the call for the government to implement a weekly rest day for domestic maids with compensation in-lieu. In an email reply to Channel NewsAsia, MOM said it will consult with various stakeholders including employers, employment agencies and non-governmental organisations. Members of the public can email their
ST9 Pte Ltd was fined $50,000 for having more than 1,100 workers at three "dormitories" converted from factories at Woodlands Industrial Park. The men were housed in overcrowded conditions, reported to be at twice the occupant loads. 600 workers were found staying in parts of the buildings that had not been approved for housing. Sunhuan
While this is a report by Amnesty International on Malaysia, Singapore too canes visa overstayers (see Fact sheet: Overstaying by more than 90 days can lead to caning). However, TWC2 does not have statistics on the number of persons so punished in Singapore. ------ Malaysian government reveals nearly 30,000 foreigners caned by Amnesty International March
On July 19, 2010,in the wake of yet another fatal accident, Minister for Transport Raymond Lim announced in Parliament that the deadline for previously-announced safety measures is to be brought forward. Here is a record of the July 19 statement in response of questions by members of parliament: --- 13. Mr Christopher de Souza asked
Three workers, reported to be from China, died as a result of a traffic accident along the Pan-Island Expressway, June 22, 2010. Two men died on the spot while a third passed away later in hospital. Six men remained warded overnight. XinMSM reported that although the decal on the back of the wrecked lorry showed
New measures to increase safety and provide shelter for workers transported in open-backed vehicles were announced in Parliament on August 18, 2009. They are to be phased in over three years. Here is a record of the statement made in Parliament on this matter: Mdm Halimah Yacob asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether he
