Malaysia and Cambodia have recently signed two agreements on the employment of Cambodian migrant workers. The two governments signed agreements on the recruitment, employment and repatriation of Cambodian workers in Malaysia.
Two Memorandum of Understanding were signed with the first MoU between the governments of both countries concerns the recruitment, employment and repatriation of workers, while the second is on the recruitment, employment and repatriation of domestic workers.
During the one-day visit to Phnom Penh, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim met with Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen and later visited King Norodom Sihamoni. According to the Cambodian PM Minister, the latest MoUs signed is a continuation of the cooperation that two countries have had together since 2015.
He added that there are currently 20,000 Cambodian workers living in Malaysia while there are there are about 5,000 Malaysians in Cambodia, mostly successful businessmen. About 400 Malaysian companies are operating in Cambodia.
Stated in a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the request of Hun Sen on the facilitation of the Cambodian workers, Anwar assured that Malaysia will permit overstaying workers to register until the end of the year.
They will continue their jobs in Malaysia and the proposed recognition of Cambodian workers’ travel documents was also raised in the talks between the two leaders.
At a news conference after meeting with Anwar, Hun Sen praised relations between the countries and said they agreed to promote cooperation in trade, agriculture, tourism, energy, education and industry.
Cambodia is Malaysia’s 58th largest trading partner and its eighth largest among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, according to Malaysia’s foreign ministry. Trade between Malaysia and Cambodia totaled US$683.6 million in 2022, an increase of 20.8% from the previous year.
