The Bangladesh high commissioner to Malaysia has highlighted the remarkable digital transformation of his country and underlined the importance of establishing institutional linkages to promote greater bilateral collaboration in ICT and digital economy."We are determined to work closely with Malaysia to find ways and means to establish Bangladesh-Malaysia Digital Economy Corridor in terms of enabling policy support and stakeholders’ integration and participation," said high commissioner Md Golam SarwarThe envoy mentioned about the achievements of Bangladesh in the field of ICT and digital economy and invited Malaysian entrepreneurs to invest in high tech parks in Bangladesh for a mutually beneficial partnership in the field of digital economy.Following two years’ COVID-19 break, Wisma Putra, the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with Multimedia University (MMU) and Axiata organized the first in-person workshop under the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP) from 3 to 7 October 2022.A 15-member Bangladesh delegation led by Brig Gen Md. Nasim Parvez, Director General (System and Services), Bangladesh Telecom regulatory Commission (BTRC) and comprising Senior officials of the concerned regulatory organizations of Bangladesh participated in the workshop on ICT/ Digital economy.The concluding ceremony of the workshop, held at MMU, Cyberjaya was also attended by Hafizah Abdullah, Undersecretary, International Cooperation and Development Division (ICDD), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, Vivek Sood, Joint Acting Group CFO Axiata/ Group CFO Berhad and Prof Dato Dr. Mazliham Mohd Su’ud, President of Multimedia University. Read: Malaysia offering premium visa to draw wealthy investorsWhile attending the concluding ceremony, the Bangladesh envoy expressed his deep appreciation to the govt of Malaysia for organizing the timely event under G2G initiative.The under secretary of the Malaysian Foreign Ministry highlighted the existing bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Malaysia.She informed the participants about MTCP, including Malaysia’s strong commitment to strengthen South-South cooperation, and Malaysian Govt’s initiatives on digital transformation.President and CEO of MMU informed about various activities at MMU and apprised that the toppers at the University are from the 228 Bangladeshi students studying in MMU.Earlier, the opening ceremony of the workshop was organized on 3 October 2022 in presence of Mohammad Khorshed A. Khastagir, deputy high commissioner of Bangladesh, Prof. Dr. Hairul Azhar Bin Abdul Rashid, Vice President of MMU and Farah Fazarina Binti Mohamad, Principal Assistant Secretary (ICDD) of Malaysian MOFA.In her speech, the Principal Assistant Secretary (ICDD) of the Malaysian Foreign Ministry informed that till date some 800 Bangladeshis have been benefitted from MTCP program.She expressed hope that the participants would be able to know about Malaysian experience in digital transformation & its best practices in the field of digital economy.During the weeklong workshop, beside attending academic sessions, the Bangladeshi delegates paid study visits to relevant govt. institutions of Malaysia.

The Malaysian National Women's Football team made their first practice session at the Bir Sreshtho Shaheed Shipahi Mustafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur here Tuesday afternoon. The Malaysian Women's team arrived at the Hazrat Shah Jalal International Airport in Dhaka Tuesday (June 21) first hour at 12:30 am to play two FIFA Tier-1 International Football matches here against Bangladesh Women's Football team. READ: BPL Football: Bashundhara Kings beat Rahmatganj MFS 2-0; Sheikh Russel upset Sheikh Jamal 3-1 The two match football series will be held on Thursday (June 23) and Sunday (June 26), both at 6 pm at the Bir Sreshtho Shaheed Shipahi Mustafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur here. Ahead of the FIFA International Friendlies, Bangladesh team also made their practices at the turf of the games venue Kamalapur Stadium from 3:30 pm to 5 pm on Tuesday, followed by touring Malaysian team, who made practices at the same venue from 5:30 to 7:30 pm on Tuesday (June 21). 

Malaysian Home Affairs Minister Hamzah bin Zainudin is likely to visit Dhaka later this month on a three-day visit to discuss issues of mutual interests with Bangladesh. He will visit Bangladesh, arriving January 25, at the invitation of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad. During the visit, Hamza Zainudin will also hold a meeting with his counterpart Asaduzzaman Khan, apart from his meeting with Minister Imran Ahmad on January 26. Hamzah will also attend a session with Bangladeshi overseas workers' recruitment agencies and visit the Bangladesh-Korea Technical Training Center. READ: Malaysian govt wants to cut out third parties in foreign recruitment The minister will join a dinner of the Malaysian diaspora in Dhaka during his stay. Hamzah's visit comes on the back of Putrajaya opening the door to entry of foreign workers in all employment sectors, in line with a decision taken in a meeting of the Malaysian Cabinet on December 10, last year. For the Malaysian home minister's visit to follow so soon on the back of his country's decision to reopen the labour market to foreign workers This entry will be opened to all sectors – allowed for the employment of foreign workers – namely agriculture, manufacturing, services, mining and quarrying, construction and domestic servants. Previously, approval was given for the entry of 32,000 foreign workers for the plantation sector with special exemptions. The Malaysian government advised the employers not to make any payment through intermediaries or third parties for the purpose of speeding up the application process as its cabinet recently approved the entry of foreign workers. "This is to prevent fraud by irresponsible parties," said Malaysian Minister for Human Resources M Saravanan in a media statement on recruitment and employment of foreign workers. The minister also reminded employers – who want to employ foreign workers – to submit their own applications based on the actual needs of foreign workers. READ: Court to rule on graft appeal by Malaysian ex-premier Najib Employers who use the services of private employment agencies must also ensure that the agency is registered and has a license certified by the Department of Manpower Peninsular Malaysia under the Private Employment Agencies Act 1981, according to the statement. All these admissions must comply with the standing operating procedures (SOP) for the admission of foreign workers, which was approved by the Covid-19 Ministerial Quartet Meeting on 14 December 2021, it added. The minister will make an announcement in the near future on the date of applications that can be submitted by employers online for the process of hiring foreign workers for each sector of employment allowed from the source country.