Hundreds flock to Putrajaya before E-Card deadline day

PUTRAJAYA: With the June 30 deadline looming, illegal foreign workers have been gathering in their hundreds to register for their Enforcement Card (E-Card) at the Immigration department here.
Barely a day after the Raya celebrations, workers and employers were seen queuing up in their hundreds today to apply for these temporary cards.
The E-card programme was introduced to meet the high demand for foreign workers from employers to address labour shortages in several key economic sectors in peninsular Malaysia.
The card will give these workers validity until Feb 15 next year.
Last week, Immigration Department director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali expressed his disappointment over the "lackadaisical attitude" of employers with illegal workers in applying for these cards.
He also stressed that the June 30 deadline will not be extended and warned employers that the department will go on a manhunt for illegal immigrants on July 1 nationwide.
He had however extended office hours for the E-Card to 12am till deadline day.
The E-card is only available to illegal workers from 15 countries that supply foreign workers to Malaysia.
These are Bangladesh, Philippines, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.