'Forced labour' a threat to electronics sector

A report on forced labour in Malaysia funded by the US State Department could emerge as the biggest threat to the country's electric and electronics (E&E) industry, which happens to the largest export sector, PKR’s Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin said today.

The Verite report on forced labour states that 28 percent of workers in Malaysia are forced labour, and this puts Malaysia under a real threat of being placed on the US Labour Department watch list, Sim said.

If that happens, it will affect the E&E sector in terms of investment and will shrink future foreign direct investments (FDI) into the country.