Excript:
"Malaysia needs to introduce social security system as an incentive for immigrant workers to leave after certain period as the present system of controlling legal and illegal foreign workers through levy and laws are ineffective, an international labour migrant expert said.
Workers must have incentive to encourage them to leave...not just rules. A social security system which refund certain amount of money to them or something like retirement benefit given only when they leave will come in handy"
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=188153QUOTE
M'sia Needs Social Security To Control Migrant Workers - Expert
By D.Arul Rajoo
BANGKOK, March 27 (Bernama) -- Malaysia needs to introduce social security system as an incentive for immigrant workers to leave after certain period as the present system of controlling legal and illegal foreign workers through levy and laws are ineffective, an international labour migrant expert said.
Philip Martin said experience had shown migrant policy management would not be effective unless there was flexibility and close coordination between government agencies and as well as between employers and employees.
"Workers must have incentive to encourage them to leave...not just rules. A social security system which refund certain amount of money to them or something like retirement benefit given only when they leave will come in handy," he told Bernama in an interview.
Martin, who advises International Labour Organisation (ILO) and many governments on migrant issues, said Malaysia could emulate Canada's success in implementing such a scheme, adding that the country had 97 per cent return rate.
He said Malaysia has two million migrants in labour force of 10 million, with Indonesians dominating among construction and plantation workers.
He said the Malaysian Government uses a levy system similar to Singapore but was much less capable of preventing illegal migration and employment, leading to periodic sweeps that send tens of thousands of Indonesians home.
"Malaysia's experience has shown that migrants are always on the rise despite all the rules. I expect the number to rise and not to reduce because they are dependent on foreign migrants like in oil palm and rubber plantations," he said.
Martin said Malaysia must work with employers to plan reduction in foreign workers over a certain period of time as too much dependence on foreign workers would result in social problems over the years.
"The first generation of migrant workers know their roots and problems in their homeland but second and third generations don't, and you have problems like recent riots in France," he said.
He said the number of long-term international migrants (those residing in foreign countries for more than a year) had grown steadily in the past four decades.
According to the UN Population Division, in 1965, only 75 million people fit the definition, rising to 84 million by 1975, 105 million by 1985, 120 million in 1990s and 150 million in 2000.
Martin also said everytime a Government undertakes illegal workers' registration exercise, it would delay their departure and this would encourage more to come.
He said some countries have a policy of encouraging skilled workers who enjoyed better benefits and opportunities of naturalisation while at the same time rotate unskilled labourers.
"But how are you going to end this rotation. Many employers prefer to keep them for their experience and don't want to train new workers," he said.
He said even with the large and growing number of international migrants, it was important to keep in mind that fewer than three per cent of the world's population have been living outside of their home countries for a year or longer.
Case study:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...ia/14187290.htmQUOTE
Thousands stage demonstration in Los Angeles for immigrants' rights
PETER PRENGAMAN
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - In Washington D.C., talk about a proposed crackdown on illegal immigrants has been about jobs and terrorism.
But in downtown Los Angeles, where over 200,000 people dressed in white and boisterously marched in front of City Hall, talk about immigrants was in terms of brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, parents and children.
The largely Hispanic crowd, waving American, Mexican, Guatemalan and other flags from around Latin America, included thousands who had crossed the border themselves or whose families did so only a generation or two earlier.
"My mom came from Mexico, she had to cross the river, and thank God she did," said David Gonzalez, 22, who held a sign saying, "I'm in my homeland.'"
Gonzalez said tougher stand on undocumented immigrants would mainly hurt Hispanics and do nothing to improve border security.
"How is that making the border safer?" he asked. "When did you ever see a Mexican blow up the World Trade Center? Who do you think built the World Trade Center?"
The march, followed by a rally, was the largest of a series of demonstrations over House-passed legislation that would make it a felony to be in the U.S. illegally, impose new penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants, and erect fences along one-third of the U.S.-Mexican border. The Senate was to begin debating immigration proposals on Tuesday.
President Bush, in his weekly radio address, urged Congress to write a new immigration law with a guest worker program that could provide legal status - short of citizenship - for some of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.
Immigrants are "doing jobs that Americans will not do," he said.
Many protesters said they rejected arguments that an amnesty would be unfair to immigrants who entered the country legally.
"You always here the argument about 'being unfair to the people waiting in line,'" to get an entry visa, said Perias Pillay, 44, who immigrated legally from Malaysia when he was 18. "But the reality is that most people don't qualify to wait in line. The government needs to make it easier to immigrate."
Police Cmdr. Louis Gray Jr., incident commander for the rally, said aerial helicopters estimated over 200,000 people, but the number could be way over that.
"I've been on the force 38 years and I've never seen a rally this big," said Gray.
Gray said there were no arrests or reports of property damage.
Los Angeles County is one of the country's most racially diverse areas, with over 50 percent Hispanic of all generations and with roots all over Latin America.
Protesters said immigrants wanted nothing more than to be legal, law-abiding citizens.
"You give them a chance to be citizens, and they'll surprise you," said Jerry Jaramillo, 62, whose parents immigrated from Mexico when he was 8-years-old.
man, this doesnt look healthy at all. 
