Invitation to join the Subcommittee on Migrants, Refugees and Immigration Affairs
Friday, 21 August 2009 06:42pm
Contributed
by Dato’ M. Ramachelvam, Chairperson, Law Reform and Special Areas
Committee
For more than a decade, Malaysia has been the largest importer of foreign labour
in Asia. The number of documented migrant workers in the country is 2.1 million
and together with those who are undocumented, migrant workers constitute roughly
25% to 30% of the total labour workforce. Despite the huge presence of migrant
workers in the country, the Malaysian government does not have in place a comprehensive
policy framework to deal with migrant labour.
The Bar Council is concerned about this state of affairs and set up a Subcommittee
on Migrants, Refugees and Immigration Affairs (“the Subcommittee”) in 2007 under
the Law Reform and Special Areas Committee (“the Committee”). Both the
Subcommittee as well as the Committee are chaired by Dato’ M. Ramachelvam.
The major activities organised by the Subcommittee since its formation include:
• 1½ day Conference entitled “Developing a Comprehensive Policy Framework for Migrant Labour” (18 & 19 February 2008)
• Roundtable discussion with diplomatic missions entitled “Trafficking in Persons into Malaysia and the Enforcement of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act” (10 June 2008)
• Roundtable discussion on arrest and detention (5 December 2008)
• Roundtable discussion entitled “Developing A Comprehensive Policy Framework for Refugees & Asylum-Seekers” (23 June 2009)
• Roundtable discussion on domestic workers (8 July 2009)
• Migrant Workers’ Rights Multi Stakeholder Roundtable, jointly organised with the Fair Labour Association (5 August 2009)
There is a lot of work to be done in this area and we invite members of the Bar to join the Subcommittee to help move things along.
If you are interested in the work that we do and would like to join the Committee, kindly contact our officer, Ms. Vila, by telephone at 03-20313180 or by email at vila@malaysianbar.org.my.
The Subcommittee is holding its third meeting for this term at 2.30 pm on Friday, 28 August 2009 at the Bar Council Secretariat. We invite you to attend this meeting and assist the Bar in this important area of work.
Migrant workers and refugees are groups of people that are solely in need of great protection from the state. The manner in which we treat such powerless and vulnerable groups is the litmus test of how civilised we are as a nation.
Thank you.
Dato’ M. Ramachelvam Chairperson Law Reform and Special Areas Committee
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Talk on Summary Judgement (25 May 2012) Organised by the Selangor Bar Committee, this talk will take place at 5:00 pm, at the Selangor Bar Committee Auditorium, on 25 May 2012 (Friday). The talk will be conducted by Ramesh Supramanian. Click on the link above for more details.
Seminar on Tax Issues in Financial Transactions (25 May 2012) Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar Professional Development Committee, this seminar, featuring S Saravana Kumar, will take place at 3:00 pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Bar Auditorium, on 25 May 2012 (Friday). Click on the link above for more details.
Dialogue with Criminal Law Practitioners (26 May 2012) Organised by Bar Council, this dialogue will take place at 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, at the Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium, Bar Council, on 26 May 2012 (Saturday). Click on the link above for more details.
Conference on Competition Law (31 May 2012) Organised by Bar Council with the support of LexisNexis, this conference will take place at 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, at Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel, on 31 May 2012 (Thursday). For more details or to register, please contact Vilashini Vijayan (03-2050 2095; vila@malaysianbar.org.my). Click on the link above for more details.
Talk on What Clients Want (7 June 2012) Organised by the KL Bar Practitioners' Affairs Committee, the talk, presented by Ong Eu Jin, will take place at 5:00 pm, at the KL Bar Auditorium, on 7 June 2012 (Thursday). Click on the link above for more details.
4th LAWASIA Family Law Conference, Penang (13 and 14 July 2012) Supported by Penang Bar Committee and the Malaysian Bar, this conference, themed “The New Global Family: Emerging Trends and Challenges to Family Practice”, will take place at Traders Hotel, Penang, on 13 and 14 July 2012 (Friday and Saturday). Click on the link above for more details.
Committees 
• 1½ day Conference entitled “Developing a Comprehensive Policy Framework for Migrant Labour” (18 & 19 February 2008)
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