Human resources minister M Saravanan said the new agreement would be in place for the next five years until Dec 2026, replacing an earlier deal that expired on Feb 17.

In a statement today, he said the new memorandum of understanding (MoU) outlined the responsibilities of Malaysia and Bangladesh and their respective agencies on the recruitment and supply of workers.

Saravanan said workers are to be provided housing that meets government standards under the law to “address the element of forced labour”.

He said Malaysia would impose a four-phase Covid-19 testing regime on workers, including a seven-day quarantine.

Saravanan said workers travelling by air would only be allowed to enter the country via the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

He said the land entry points at Bukit Kayu Hitam, Wang Kelian and Rantau Panjang were restricted to Thai fishing vessel crew.

He said Malaysia’s MoU with Bangladesh would be monitored by a joint working group comprising officials from both countries.

Recently, FMT reported on the details of the MoU at its draft stage, where employers would shoulder most of the responsibility in hiring Bangladeshi workers.

Among others, the draft deal stated that workers’ flight costs from Dhaka to Kuala Lumpur and their return flight must be borne by employers.

Meanwhile, independent migrant worker rights specialist Andy Hall has criticised Putrajaya for not providing more details about what was actually agreed on in the MoU negotiations between Malaysia and Bangladesh and the actual contents of the finalised MoU and its related protocols.

He said the lack of transparency could see a return of illicit and syndicated recruitment activities that could easily lead to systemic debt bondage and forced labour of Bangladeshi workers newly brought into Malaysia.