Sime Darby seeks 5,000 Sri Lankan workers

COLOMBO: Sime Darby Bhd’s request to bring in some 5,000 workers from Sri Lanka to work in its plantations will be studied, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said the conglomerate had put in an application through the Malaysian high commission here recently, expressing its interest to hire additional manpower for the sector.

He said the matter would be brought to the attention of the cabinet’s special committee on foreign labour, which would study the rules and legal aspects.

“Sime Darby requires about 5,000 workers and Sri Lanka has the capability to meet the demands.

“The government will review the application and hold discussions at the cabinet level before deciding on it,” said Zahid.

If the application is approved, Malaysia would have to set up a training centre to ensure the Sri Lankan workers were informed about Malaysia’s social background and culture to ensure they could adapt to the environment and job, he said.

Zahid, who is also home minister, said this was to ensure there would be no further problems once they arrived in Malaysia.

Speaking to the Malaysian media here after a close-door meeting with Sri Lankan Foreign Employment Minister Thalatha Atukorale yesterday, he said there were about 6,500 Sri Lankans working in various sectors in Malaysia, such as the service and domestic help sectors.

“During my meeting with Atukorale, she gave her assurance that Sri Lanka is prepared to supply skilled and semi-skilled labour to Malaysia, especially in the manufacturing sector.

“The government will look into this, as we need to go through several legal and documentation processes in Malaysia before approving it. This will also depend on vacancies and needs by industrial players to fill the job requirements in the respective sectors,” he said.

Zahid said the Sri Lankan government had expressed an interest to learn about MyKad from the Malaysian National Registration Department and was looking at using it in Sri Lanka.

He said Sri Lanka had requested Malaysia to review its approval for student visas by extending them until the students completed their studies.

“Some 1,200 students from Sri Lanka are studying in Malaysia and their visas are approved every year.

“We will look into it (to review for visas until they complete studies), as it might also involve students from other countries pursuing their studies in Malaysia.

“Although we welcome foreign students to Malaysia, we should also look into security matters.

“We will look into attracting more foreign students to Malaysia through a less complicated process without compromising on security.”

Zahid, who also met Sri Lankan Home Affairs Minister Vajira Abeywardena yesterday, said they had discussed efforts on counter-terrorism and tackling drug-related issues.

He said Sri Lanka had requested Malaysia send its prisoners back here to serve the remainder of their jail sentences and Malaysia had promised to look into it.

He said Malaysia had extended an invitation to Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena to visit Malaysia and he was scheduled to visit Malaysia in December.