Migrant worker dragnet unsettles Malaysia's firms

Kuala Lumpur

A CRACKDOWN on illegal migrant labour in Malaysia which began on Saturday is disrupting operations particularly in construction and agriculture where many have fled underground, business groups say.

Immigration officers began operations to flush out and detain illegal migrant workers after midnight June 30 when a deadline for employers to register undocumented workers expired.

"It's definitely been disruptive to businesses as most have gone underground if they have not already left the country," said Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) executive director Shamsuddin Bardan. "But even the legal ones are playing the disappearing act in case they are taken in for questioning."

According to Mr Shamsuddin, the construction and agriculture sectors are the ones most affected; the former employs an estimated 900,000 illegal workers for instance and late delivery charges could apply if there are long…