Myanmar bans workers going to Malaysia

This article is more than 12 months old

Dec 08, 2016 06:00 am

YANGON Myanmar has banned workers from going to Muslim-majority Malaysia as relations sour between the neighbours over a bloody military crackdown on the Buddhist country's Rohingya minority.

The move came after Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak lashed out at Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi for allowing "genocide" on her watch during a rally on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur that drew thousands of people.

PROTEST

The crowd was protesting against a military crackdown in Myanmar's western Rakhine state that has pushed more than 20,000 Rohingya Muslims into Bangladesh.

Late Tuesday, Myanmar's Immigration Ministry said it had ceased issuing new licences for its nationals to work in wealthier Malaysia - for years a top destination for migrant labour.

"Myanmar has temporarily stopped sending workers to Malaysia from Dec 6 because of the current situation in Malaysia," it said in a statement, without elaborating.

Malaysia already hosts tens of thousands of Myanmar workers, most of whom take on low-paid jobs in factories or in the food and hospitality industries. - AFP