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| A young worker helping with sales at his father's accessories stand at the Jelatek night market, which is close to the city centre in Kuala Lumpur. There is a clear line between engaging young workers to do light duties and exploiting them. Youngsters who help their parents to manage makeshift stalls at the side of roads or night markets are learning about the real world and in the process acquire skills which might come in handy. The abuse begins when they become the sole breadwinners or carry out “difficult, dangerous and dirty” (3D) jobs to supplement their family incomes. That is the message from union leaders and the head of an employers’ organisation in Peninsular Malaysia. The issue of working youngsters came under the spotlight when Parliament recently passed the Bill of the Children and Young Persons (Employment) (Amendment) Act 2010 which seeks to change the current legislation, 13 years after Malaysia ratified the Minimum Age Convention (C138). Click here for the full report. |
I will not be able to attend my friend's wedding because I will be in Kuching, Sarawak on the day of the reception. When duty calls, ... That is so sad. I will make it up to you Koh Soo Ling, who is pictured here with husband Michael Howard. Soo Ling has found happiness with a wonderful Irish man who loves her with an intensity that makes her heart flutter. She will begin a new life in Ireland and the prospect of living in the countryside fills her with excitement. She will love her man, take care of him, cook and bake for him, take part in community life and write, write and write. Yes, Soo Ling will continue to write for New Sunday Times and she promises to share her activities with readers in Malaysia. Theirs is not a whirlwind romance. They started as pen pals, two teenagers who were eager to learn about foreign cultures. Pen pal relationships are so mysterious. Some write to their friends abroad for only a short time; others continue to swap letters and gifts in their
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