Bangladeshi migrant worker Sheikh Kibria recalls with horror the filthy, overcrowded dormitory where he was housed by the world's biggest rubber glove manufacturer when a coronavirus outbreak erupted and infected thousands.Malaysia's Top Glove saw profits soar, and its stock price jump as much as 400 percent this year as countries worldwide rushed to buy protective gear as the pandemic intensified.But in interviews with AFP, the South Asian migrants working flat out to make the glov

A Malaysian company that is the world's biggest manufacturer of surgical gloves will close over half of its factories after a surge in coronavirus cases among workers, authorities said Monday.Top Glove has seen a huge jump in demand since the start of the pandemic as countries scrambled to stock up on protective equipment, pushing up both its profits and share price. But there has been a cluster of virus outbreaks among Top Glove employees - many of whom are low-paid migrant wor

Malaysian authorities raided Al Jazeera's Kuala Lumpur office Tuesday and seized computers as part of an investigation into a documentary about migrants that angered the government, drawing condemnation from the broadcaster. Police launched the probe into the Qatar-based news network's programme last month, adding to concerns about worsening media freedom in Malaysia.The documentary - "Locked Up in Malaysia's Lockdown" - looked at the detention of undocumente

Singaporeans will vote in a general election Friday with a raft of safety measures in place as the city-state emerges from a major coronavirus outbreak that swept through migrant worker dormitories.Voters will wear masks and gloves, and go through temperature checks before casting their ballots, following a short nine-day campaign that took place mostly online as rallies were banned to reduce infection risks.The People's Action Party (PAP), which has governed Singapore for six decades, i

Malaysian police said Tuesday they are investigating an Al Jazeera documentary about the arrests of undocumented migrants during the coronavirus lockdown after officials denounced it for damaging the country's image.The move comes after several activists, journalists and opposition figures have been put under investigation recently in what critics say is a bid to silence dissent. The documentary by the Qatar-based broadcaster, "Locked Up in Malaysia's Lockdown", f

Just yesterday, Malaysian media reported that a Rohingya man escaped from a quarantine centre at the Ministry of Health Malaysia’s Training Institute in Tanjung Rambutan, a small town in the west coast state of Perak. Local police are now on the hunt for the migrant.

Nok (not her real name) is from Thailand and works in a hotel in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the hotel laying off a number of its staff. Nok was spared being laid off, but she has to go on unpaid leave until December 2020; with a provision that if she can resume work earlier then her new pay would be 25 percent lower than before.

Singapore has been praised for its gold standard approach in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. Citizens are given free masks and hand sanitizers courtesy of the state, according to local media reports. Nonetheless, the island’s policies have been focused on Singaporeans only.

Singapore on Tuesday (21 April) extended restrictions to fight the coronavirus until early June, the city-state's leader said, as cases surged past 9,000 due to a growing number of infections among migrant workers. The city-state managed to keep its outbreak in check in the early stages due to widespread testing and contact-tracing, but is facing a fast-moving second wave of infections. Health authorities reported 1,111 cases Tuesday taking the total to 9,125, with the

Just last week, a special online summit was held among Southeast Asia’s leaders to discuss strategies that could be taken at a regional level to combat the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. The new coronavirus has infected over two million people and killed more than 150,000 worldwide. Governments have implemented drastic measures to contain the virus such as travel curbs and citywide lockdowns.