DHAKA: More than 3,000 Bangladeshis have returned home from Malaysia since November after Kuala Lumpur threatened to crack down on illegal foreign workers.

The Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia has issued 1,800 travel passes since the beginning of last month to workers who had lost their passports or had overstayed their visa, Xinhua quoted newspapers here as saying on Dec 12.

About the "same number" came back without seeking travel passes, sources said.

Malaysia had declared illegal workers leaving the country by Nov 15 would not be asked for explanations or charged penalties.

Under a new agreement with Bangladesh and other countries, Malaysia will start recruiting manpower after it has deported all illegal workers, estimated to be around 1 million, officials said.

They hoped the Malaysian labour market would open to Bangladeshi workers from early next year.

Minister for Expatriate Welfare Mohammad Quamrul Islam said illegal workers should return home to create scope for legal workers.

Returning workers would also have a chance to go back as legal manpower if their employers requested.

Around 113,000 Bangladeshis work in Malaysia legally.

Courtesy Indo-Asian News Service