Local factories employing foreign workers must provide separate living quarters for different nationalities following massive brawls involving Indonesians, Vietnamese, Nepalese and Bangladeshis, the government has ruled.

The government would also make it compulsory for all foreign workers to be given orientation courses on Malaysia's working environment before arriving here, Human Resources Minister Fong Chan Onn was quoted as saying in local media today.

A total of 66 foreign factory workers were arrested Tuesday and at least five hospitalised in southern Negri Sembilan state after two separate brawls erupted among nationals of the four countries.

Six Indonesians were injured, two seriously, in a clash between Indonesian and Vietnamese workers in a factory hostel in Nilai, while 62 Nepalese and Bangladeshi workers were arrested after a brawl.

All those involved would be deported, Fong said.

"Such workers will never be allowed to work in Malaysia again," he said.

"We have also sought police cooperation for 24-hour surveillance on factories which have thousands of workers from different countries working and living together, such as the Hualon Corporation textile factory in Nilai," Fong said.

Liaison office

Hualon Corporation which employs 3,190 workers from Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangladesh has been ordered to provide separate living quarters for them as soon as possible, the paper said.

It must also set up a foreign workers' liaison office to monitor their activities at the workplace and in their quarters, it said.

Meanwhile Deputy Works Minister Khaled Nordin said Malaysia aimed to reduce the intake of foreign workers by 85 percent by 2009 to enable more locals to obtain employment.

"There are presently some 400,000 (foreign) workers in the country, mainly in the construction sector," he was quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency.

Malaysia relies heavily on foreign labour but had some 468,000 illegal immigrants return home voluntarily during a four-month amnesty period last year. - AFP