Demand for Lankan security guards in Malaysia

by Dhaneshi Yatawara

Guidelines are being prepared to send Sri Lankans as security guards to Malaysia as there is a demand for them.The large number of ex-service- men in the country will be the main target group, according to the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) .

Nearly 900 vacancies for security guards are available in Malaysia for Sri Lankans. "The request from Malaysia is to fill nearly 50,000 vacancies," said SLBFE chairman Raj Obeysekere.

Sri Lanka will start training security guards for employment in Malaysia and the two Governments are holding discussions to sign a Memorandum of Understanding, said Obeysekere.

The Malaysian government had recruited only Nepalese nationals as security guards as a policy. Malaysian Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed told the Malaysian media recently about their concern to employ security guards with a military background from countries such as Sri Lanka.The country is revisiting the decade-old policy due to lack of suitable candidates from Nepal.

Several Malaysian factories expressed the need for security guards of a high calibre for their institutions during recent discussions with the SLBFE.

The SLBFE will prepare a new training scheme as the recruitment criteria demands English proficiency and arms training. The SLBFE will include teaching English, basic Malay and the law of the destination country in their training programs..

"There is a demand for experienced nurses from the USA which needs to be evaluated," according to SLBFE sources. The Bureau is conducting a survey to ascertain the willingness of these professionals to migrate for employment following a face to face interview with recruitment agencies.