Malaysians shocked by thousands of Bangladeshis crowding at airport to beat deadline for legal work

The May 31 hard deadline was announced after tens of thousands of Bangladeshi migrant workers fell victim to an elaborate labour scam in Malaysia, each paying up to US $5,000 upfront for jobs that did not exist once they arrived in the country.

Malaysia’s Immigration Department Director-General Ruslin Jusoh said there was about a fourfold increase in arrivals of foreign workers over the last week.

“Normally, about 500 to 1,000 foreign workers would arrive daily. However, the number increased to 2,500 a day on May 22 and between 4,000 and 4,500 daily on May 27,” he said on Thursday.

Arriving on a Friday morning flight with thousands of others making the last-minute dash to beat the cut-off point, Habibur Rahman from Chittagong said he was relieved at making it to Malaysia, where he hoped to make money to send home.

“Alhamdulillah [Praise be to God], I will be working in Penang, factory work,” he told This Week in Asia.

But labour activists warn the criminal syndicates behind the bogus job offers in Malaysia have not been eradicated, meaning new arrivals remain at risk of forced labour and other forms of exploitation.

“Many of these workers are at high risk of modern slavery,” said Andy Hall, an independent migrant worker rights specialist who has researched the issue extensively.

They “will surely be arriving to bogus employers on bogus quotas with no jobs, facilitated by corrupt government officials, agencies and recruitment intermediaries.”

An online video of the massive crowd at the airport showing Bangladeshis hurrying to beat Malaysia’s entry deadline – and seen by over 600,000 people – drew harsh criticism from the public, who question why more migrant workers are entering the country.

Malaysia has set a target cap for its