Published: 01:45 AM, 23 June 2026
PM asks Malaysia to reopen labor market to Bangladeshi workers
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman speaks at a joint press conference with Malaysian Premier Anwar Ibrahim in Putrajaya on Monday. -MOFA
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said on Monday he had asked his Malaysian counterpart to consider reopening the labour market to Bangladeshi migrant workers,
as the leaders expressed concerns over long-standing issues of foreign worker exploitation.
Malaysia has been a key destination for Bangladeshi migrant workers, whose remittances are a crucial source of foreign exchange for the South Asian nation.
However, Kuala Lumpur has restricted the hiring of workers from Bangladesh since 2024 amid reports of debt bondage and forced labour, with workers incurring substantial debts to secure employment in Malaysia.
Hundreds of workers were left stranded in 2023, after arriving in Malaysia
only to find that jobs promised to them by recruitment agents did not exist, leaving them forced to seek work illegally and exposing them to detention and deportation risks, reports bdnews24.com.
"I also raised issues relating to regularisation of illegal workers and repatriation of the detained Bangladeshis if possible," Rahman told reporters during a visit to Malaysia where he met Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar said both countries agreed to take measures to ensure transparency in the recruitment of workers and protect their welfare.
"This continued use of workers being exploited, ill-treated... solely for personal company gains cannot be tolerated," he said.
Anwar and Rahman also witnessed the exchange of several agreements, including collaborations on investment promotion, cultural cooperation and counterterrorism, and the two countries also pledged to move forward with negotiations on a free trade agreement.
Tarique Rahman is on his first overseas trip since taking office, as Bangladesh looks to attract investment, boost overseas employment and strengthen ties with Asian partners.
PM LEAVES MALAYSIA FOR CHINA WRAPPING UP TWO-DAY VISIT:
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman left Malaysia for the Chinese port city of Dalian on Monday afternoon after concluding his two-day official visit to the Southeast Asian country.
A special Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying the Prime Minister, his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman and members of the delegation departed from Kuala Lumpur International Airport around 5:00pm local time, said Prime Minister's Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon.
"Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has started his journey from Malaysia to Dalian, China. He will remain busy with a series of engagements in Dalian over the next two days," Rumon said.
He said Tarique Rahman will later travel to Beijing, where the main programmes of his official visit to China will take place.
At the Bunga Raya Complex, the exclusive VVIP terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysian Religious Affairs Minister Zulkifli Hasan and his wife saw the Prime Minister off.
Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia Manjurul Karim Khan Chowdhury and Deputy High Commissioner Mosammat Shahanara Monica were also present.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday on his first overseas visit since assuming office.
During the visit, he held bilateral talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and attended a number of official engagements aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries.
The Prime Minister is visiting China at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
During his stay in Dalian, he will attend the 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions of the World Economic Forum, widely known as the Summer Davos, which will be held from June 23 to 25 in Liaoning Province.
More than 1,700 participants from over 90 countries and regions are expected to join the event, which is being held under the theme "Innovating at Scale."
The forum will focus on issues, including global economic trends, technological innovation, industrial transformation and sustainable development.
Apart from attending the forum, the Prime Minister is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Chinese leaders. He will meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang on June 25 and Chinese President Xi Jinping on June 26.
He is expected to return home on the night of June 26, wrapping up his first official overseas tour since taking office.
