Harassment of Bangladeshi Worker: Malaysia cops probing bribery allegation
Police in Malaysia are investigating an incident of bribery by law enforcement personnel, to which a Bangladeshi migrant worker reportedly fell victim near the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
A video of the incident, first circulated on Wednesday, has gone viral on WhatsApp, Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported yesterday, without disclosing the name and details of the Bangladeshi worker.
Brac termed the incident "unfortunate" and said incidents of maltreatment of Bangladeshis in Malaysia was "not new".
Brac Migration Programme urged the Malaysian police to stop harassing Bangladeshi workers, adding that it would send an official complaint to the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur regarding the latest incident.
According to the FMT report, the video was filmed by a taxi driver speaking in Tamil about policemen demanding bribes from a Bangladeshi passenger on his way to Bangladesh after months of unemployment.
The taxi driver claims police personnel stopped the vehicle at a roadblock and the passenger showed them his documents, which were in order, said the report.
The officer, however, said the passenger had to pay a fine of 1,000 Malaysian ringgits as he was crossing the Kuala Lumpur-Selangor border. The driver himself was let off. However, he claims the passenger was taken a distance away and extorted out of 100 Malaysian ringgits, the report mentioned.
In a Facebook post, Selangor police said they were investigating the matter and thanked whoever had brought it to light, according to the FMT report.
"We are taking this issue very seriously," they said. "We will not compromise on any form of wrongdoing, fellow officer or not."
Shariful Hasan, head of Brac Migration Programme, said the Bangladeshi man had all the valid documents, including a Covid-19 negative certificate, to return to the country.
Even after showing the documents, police were asking for bribes. This was because the police knew the man was a Bangladeshi, and nothing happens when a Bangladeshi is exploited, Shariful alleged.
"During several visits, I've found Bangladeshis being harassed in the country. Bribery and extortion are regular phenomena. I've also heard that when a Bangladeshi's work permit expires, they are forced to give bribes when stopped by police. Police also have a negative attitude towards Bangladeshis," he added.
He also alleged that Bangladeshis were often isolated and interrogated at the Kuala Lumpur airport and mistreated at detention centres.
This correspondent yesterday called Labour Welfare Counsellor Zahirul Islam of Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur multiple times for comment but could not reach him.
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