From: mien lor <ly_mien@...>

Date: April 9, 2007 11:33:39 AM GMT+08:00

To: komas volunteers <komasfriends@yahoogroups.com>

Subject: [komasfriends] Humanitarian Emergency Appeal: Food Supplies needed!!

Reply-To: komasfriends@yahoogroups.com

Dear friends

We have an urgent appeal which we hope you or your networks can respond to.  The information is below.  If you are able to help in any way at all, please contact Harun of Tenaganita (019-3691789) who is coordinating this mission.

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April 6, 2007

Humanitarian Emergency Appeal: Food Supplies for 1000 Stranded Bangladeshi Migrant Workers in Cameron Highlands

Tenaganita has been informed of the plight of almost 1000 Bangledeshi workers who are without jobs short of food.

They were brought into Malaysia under an outsourcing company in the promise of jobs at nursery and vegetables farm in Cameron Highlands.

The groups, each comprising of 50-100 Bangladeshi men, are being held either in plantations or farms in or around Teluk Intan (Perak), Cameron Highlands (Pahang), Klang (Selangor) and Gua Musang (Kelantan).

Tenaganita has already established contact and each group was given 20kg of rice, 1kg of onions, 1 bag of dhall and cooking oil last week. No gas or fuel is provided. The workers themselves scavenge for fire-wood to cook their meals. Currently they donĒt have even food.

DONATIONS:

We are asking for donors to fund towards the buying of foodstuff to relief the hunger of the workers and any other necessities for the workers.

FACT-FINDING:

Tenaganita will also meet the groups, and document their situation through interviews and with audio/visual and photos evidence. We then aim to come up with a media campaign, to make known that these abuses take place and hopefully to make them aware to speak out against it.

We will also go to the various authorities to confirm these abuses and to ask them to take concrete measures. We will also investigate the operations of these employment agents.

We know the trail goes back to Bangladesh, and with these data, we hope to work closely with their local NGOs to make certain their citizens donĒt fall prey to false promises.

The team of volunteers is going for our first fact-finding trip on April 7 Saturday, to Teluk Intan where 84 workers are placed in without food and subsequently the team will visit the various places of Cameron Highlands.

On behalf of Tenaganita and our volunteers, we thank you for your donations. We will update you on the situation from time to time.

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