Submit thumbprints of foreign workers, contractors urged

JOHOR BARU: All contractors have been urged to submit the thumbprints or biometric profiles of their foreign workers to the Immigration Department for security purposes.

The Home Ministry’s senior deputy secretary-general Datuk Raja Azahar Raja Abdul Manap said submitting these thumbprints or profiles would also make it more difficult for contractors to hire illegal foreigners unknowingly.

It would enable the authorities, particularly immigration personnel and the police, to counter-check data should problems such as crimes arise, he added.

“We are urging the contractors to submit the thumbprints as soon as possible.

“They can be used to track the status of the foreign workers if their visas or permits are lost,” Raja Azahar told reporters after launching the Construction Labour Exchange Centre’s (CLAB) Customers’ Day here yesterday.

He commended the CLAB, which had begun submitting the thumbprints of some 12,000 foreign workers in its database to the authorities.

“Submitting the thumbprints will enable more efficient management of foreign workers in the country, especially in the construction sector.

“It will also prevent any contractor from hiring illegal workers as their status can be checked by the authorities,” he said, adding that such a move could help lessen the number of illegal foreigners in the country.

CLAB chief executive officer Azlan Mohd Isa said he hoped the event would foster better rapport between the centre and the contractors registered with it.

“The contractors are also briefed on the roles of the various authorities as well as existing government policies for the construction sector,” he said.

About 150 contractors from Johor Baru, who had registered with the CLAB, took part in the event, as well as representatives from the Home Ministry, the Immigration Department, the police and Rela.