Malaysia called out on MoU

Malaysia needs to start “paying attention” to a worker protection agreement with Cambodia that has languished for almost two years, a Ministry of Interior official said at a meeting yesterday. The meeting, which included officials from the ministries of Interior, Women’s Affairs, Tourism, Foreign Affairs and other related ministries, along with NGO partner Winrock, aimed to find ways Cambodia can combat human trafficking and facilitate the signing of memoranda of understanding (MoU) with countries like Malaysia to protect workers. … According to Moeun Tola, head of the Community Legal Education Center’s labour program, Cambodia began drafting the MoU with Malaysia nearly two years ago, suggesting a poor outlook for its speedy signing. … Weak enforcement and a lack of NGO input hobbles MoUs, Tola said, adding that migrant conditions in Thailand have barely improved since a 2003 MoU was signed.

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