KUALA LUMPUR – The US State Department is set to downgrade Malaysia to the lowest ranking in its upcoming report on human trafficking, Reuters reported today.
Two sources familiar with the matter told the news agency that the country will be placed in Tier 3 of this year’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report after spending three years on the Tier 2 Watchlist.
The Tier 3 ranking means that Malaysia is placed among countries that have failed to meet the minimum standards in eliminating human trafficking or have not taken significant action to comply.
This rank could also affect the country’s access to some US aid, according to Reuters.
Both the US Embassy here and the State Department has refused to comment ahead of the report’s release.
Malaysia’s Home Ministry was also unavailable for an immediate response, the Reuters report said.
The revelation by the sources comes after a senior police official insisted that Malaysia’s forced labour issue is not “out of control”, despite companies facing US sanctions over alleged forced labour.
Yesterday, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigations Department Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) D3 assistant director Azry Akmar Ayob had said labour issues concerning exploitation is not widespread in the country.
He said police received 62 cases of forced labour last year, and fewer than 10 this year, and that the cases were mostly in the services and manufacturing sectors.
US authorities have banned three Malaysian companies in the past year over allegations of forced labour, as well as abusive working and living conditions.
In May, Canada also launched investigations into similar allegations on Malaysia’s palm oil and glove manufacturing sectors.
Azry’s remarks comes on the heels of human rights group Finnwatch accusing local palm oil company IOI Corp managers of mistreating workers, forcing them into poor living conditions and imposing high recruitment fees.
The allegations were made after the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) told an activist it was investigating the company over claims of forced labour. – The Vibes, July 1, 2021
