Human Resource Minister Richard Riot Jaem said as far as his ministry was concerned, they were categorised as non-resident workers, governed by the Sarawak Labour Ordinance.

He said Sarawak’s “localisation committee” looked into non-resident matters, headed by the State Secretary. The State Labour Department director sits on the committee as one of the members, he said.

“As far as I know, we leave matters concerning non-resident workers to this committee. It has nothing to do with the human resource ministry,” he told reporters here today.

When asked to comment on Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg’s statement yesterday that the state government was in talks with both the home ministry and the foreign ministry regarding the fate of some 170 North Korean workers in Sarawak, he said it was best to leave such matters to the relevant ministries.

“I prefer not to touch on it,” he said.

Yesterday, Abang Johari was reported as saying the issue was very delicate and would take some time before a firm decision was reached. He also said the state government was awaiting advice from the ministries directly involved in the matter.

The fate of Sarawak’s North Korean workers became an issue after relations between Malaysia and North Korea grew tense following the murder of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 13.