|
|
Background: |
During the late 18th and 19th
centuries, Great Britain established colonies and protectorates in the
area of current Malaysia; these were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945.
In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula formed the
Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was
formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore and the East
Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo
joined the Federation. The first several years of the country's history
were marred by a Communist insurgency, Indonesian confrontation with
Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's secession from the
Federation in 1965. During the 22-year term of Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin
Mohamad (1981-2003), Malaysia was successful in diversifying its economy
from dependence on exports of raw materials, to expansion in
manufacturing, services, and tourism. |
|
Location: |
Southeastern Asia, peninsula
bordering Thailand and northern one-third of the island of Borneo,
bordering Indonesia, Brunei, and the South China Sea, south of Vietnam
|
|
Geographic coordinates: |
2 30 N, 112 30 E |
|
Map references: |
Southeast Asia |
|
Area: |
total: 329,750 sq km
land: 328,550 sq km
water: 1,200 sq km |
|
Area - comparative: |
slightly larger than New Mexico
|
|
Land boundaries: |
total: 2,669 km
border countries: Brunei 381 km, Indonesia 1,782 km, Thailand
506 km |
|
Coastline: |
4,675 km (Peninsular Malaysia
2,068 km, East Malaysia 2,607 km) |
|
Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf:
200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation; specified boundary in the
South China Sea |
|
Climate: |
tropical; annual southwest
(April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons |
|
Terrain: |
coastal plains rising to hills
and mountains |
|
Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Indian
Ocean 0 m
highest point: Gunung Kinabalu 4,100 m |
|
Natural resources: |
tin, petroleum, timber, copper,
iron ore, natural gas, bauxite |
|
Land use: |
arable land: 5.46%
permanent crops: 17.54%
other: 77% (2005) |
|
Irrigated land: |
3,650 sq km (2003) |
|
Total renewable water resources: |
580 cu km (1999) |
|
Freshwater withdrawal
(domestic/industrial/agricultural): |
Total: 9.02 cu km/yr
(17%/21%/62%)
Per capita: 356 cu m/yr (2000) |
|
Natural hazards: |
flooding, landslides, forest
fires |
|
Environment - current issues: |
air pollution from industrial
and vehicular emissions; water pollution from raw sewage; deforestation;
smoke/haze from Indonesian forest fires |
|
Environment - international agreements: |
party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands |
|
Geography - note: |
strategic location along Strait
of Malacca and southern South China Sea |
|
Population: |
24,821,286 (July 2007 est.)
|
|
Age structure: |
0-14 years: 32.2% (male
4,118,086/female 3,884,403)
15-64 years: 62.9% (male
7,838,166/female 7,785,833)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male
526,967/female 667,831) (2007 est.) |
|
Median age: |
total: 24.4 years
male: 23.8 years
female: 25 years (2007 est.) |
|
Population growth rate: |
1.759% (2007 est.) |
|
Birth rate: |
22.65 births/1,000 population
(2007 est.) |
|
Death rate: |
5.05 deaths/1,000 population
(2007 est.) |
|
Net migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: does not reflect net flow of an unknown number of illegal
immigrants from other countries in the region (2007 est.) |
|
Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.07
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64
years: 1.007 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.789
male(s)/female
total population: 1.012 male(s)/female (2007
est.) |
|
Infant mortality rate: |
total: 16.62
deaths/1,000 live births
male: 19.26 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
|
Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 72.76
years
male: 70.05 years
female: 75.65 years (2007
est.) |
|
Total fertility rate: |
3.01 children born/woman (2007
est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: |
0.4% (2003 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: |
52,000 (2003 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
2,000 (2003 est.) |
|
Major infectious diseases: |
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A,
and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and
malaria are high risks in some locations (2007) |
|
Nationality: |
noun: Malaysian(s)
adjective: Malaysian |
|
Ethnic groups: |
Malay 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%,
indigenous 11%, Indian 7.1%, others 7.8% (2004 est.) |
|
Religions: |
Muslim 60.4%, Buddhist 19.2%,
Christian 9.1%, Hindu 6.3%, Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional
Chinese religions 2.6%, other or unknown 1.5%, none 0.8% (2000 census)
|
|
Languages: |
Bahasa Malaysia (official),
English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow),
Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai
note: in East Malaysia
there are several indigenous languages; most widely spoken are Iban and
Kadazan |
|
Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and
over can read and write
total population: 88.7%
male: 92%
female: 85.4% (2000 census)
|
|
Country name: |
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form: Malaysia
local long
form: none
local short form: Malaysia
former:
Federation of Malaya |
|
Government type: |
constitutional monarchy
note: nominally headed by paramount ruler and a bicameral
Parliament consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower
house; all Peninsular Malaysian states have hereditary rulers except
Melaka and Pulau Pinang (Penang); those two states along with Sabah and
Sarawak in East Malaysia have governors appointed by government; powers of
state governments are limited by federal constitution; under terms of
federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional prerogatives
(e.g., right to maintain their own immigration controls); Sabah holds 25
seats in House of Representatives; Sarawak holds 28 seats in House of
Representatives (it will have 31 seats after the next election) |
|
Capital: |
name: Kuala Lumpur
geographic coordinates: 3 10 N, 101 42 E
time
difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
note: Putrajaya is referred to as administrative center
not capital; Parliament meets in Kuala Lumpur |
|
Administrative divisions: |
13 states (negeri-negeri,
singular - negeri) Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan,
Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, and
Terengganu; and one federal territory (wilayah persekutuan) with three
components, city of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya |
|
Independence: |
31 August 1957 (from UK) |
|
National holiday: |
Independence Day/Malaysia Day,
31 August (1957) |
|
Constitution: |
31 August 1957 (amended many
times, latest in 2007) |
|
Legal system: |
based on English common law;
judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of
supreme head of the federation; Islamic law is applied to Muslims in
matters of family law and religion; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction |
|
Suffrage: |
21 years of age; universal
|
|
Executive branch: |
chief of state:
Paramount Ruler Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin (since 13 December 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi
(since 31 October 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul
Razak (since 7 January 2004)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the
prime minister from among the members of Parliament with consent of the
paramount ruler
elections: paramount ruler elected by and from
the hereditary rulers of nine of the states for five-year terms; election
last held on 3 November 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister
designated from among the members of the House of Representatives;
following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins a
plurality of seats in the House of Representatives becomes prime minister
election results: Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin elected paramount
ruler
note: position of paramount ruler is primarily
ceremonial; in practice, selection is based on principle of rotation among
rulers of states |
|
Legislative branch: |
bicameral Parliament or
Parlimen consists of Senate or Dewan Negara (70 seats; 44 appointed by
paramount ruler, 26 elected by 13 state legislatures; to serve three-year
terms with limit of two terms) and House of Representatives or Dewan
Rakyat (219 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms); note - after next election House will have 222 seats
elections: House of Representatives - last held on 21 March
2004 (next must be held by 2009)
election results: House of
Representatives - percent of vote by coalition/party - BN 63.9%, BA 24.1%,
DAP 9.9%, others 2.1%; seats by coalition/party - BN 199, BA 8, DAP 12
|
|
Judicial branch: |
Civil Courts include Federal
Court, Court of Appeal, High Court of Malaya on peninsula Malaysia, and
High Court of Sabah and Sarawak in states of Borneo (judges appointed by
the paramount ruler on the advice of the prime minister); Sharia Courts
include Sharia Appeal Court, Sharia High Court, and Sharia Subordinate
Courts at state-level and deal with religious and family matters such as
custody, divorce, and inheritance, only for Muslims; decisions of Sharia
courts cannot be appealed to civil courts |
|
Political parties and leaders: |
National Front (Barisan
Nasional) or BN (ruling coalition) consists of the following parties:
Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia Party or PGRM [KOH Tsu Koon - acting]; Liberal
Democratic Party (Parti Liberal Demokratik - Sabah) or LDP [LIEW Vui
Keong]; Malaysian Chinese Association (Persatuan China Malaysia) or MCA
[ONG Ka Ting]; Malaysian Indian Congress (Kongres India Malaysia) or MIC
[S. Samy VELLU]; Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah or PBRS [Joseph KURUP]; Parti
Bersatu Sabah or PBS [Joseph PAIRIN Kitingan]; Parti Pesaka Bumiputera
Bersatu or PBB [Abdul TAIB Mahmud]; Parti Rakyat Sarawak or PRS [James
MASING]; Sabah Progressive Party (Parti Progresif Sabah) or SAPP [YONG
Teck Lee]; Sarawak United People's Party (Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sarawak) or
SUPP [George CHAN Hong Nam]; United Malays National Organization or UMNO
[ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi]; United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut
Organization (Pertubuhan Pasko Momogun Kadazan Dusun Bersatu) or UPKO
[Bernard DOMPOK]; People's Progressive Party (Parti Progresif Penduduk
Malaysia) or PPP [M.Kayveas]; Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party or SPDP
[William MAWAN]); opposition parties: Alternative Front (Barisan
Alternatif) or BA (consists of PAS and PKR); Democratic Action Party
(Parti Tindakan Demokratik) or DAP [KARPAL Singh]; Islamic Party of
Malaysia (Parti Islam se Malaysia) or PAS [Abdul HADI Awang]; People's
Justice Party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) or PKR [WAN AZIZAH Wan Ismael];
Sarawak National Party or SNAP [Edwin DUNDANG] |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
|
International organization participation: |
ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN,
BIS, C, CP, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO,
ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU,
WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
|
Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador RAJMAH binti Hussain
chancery: 3516 International
Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 572-9700
FAX: [1] (202) 572-9882
consulate(s) general: Los
Angeles, New York |
|
Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador James KEITH
embassy: 376 Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala
Lumpur 50400
mailing address: US Embassy Kuala Lumpur, APO AP
96535-8152
telephone: [60] (3) 2168-5000
FAX: [60]
(3) 2142-2207 |
|
Flag description: |
14 equal horizontal stripes of
red (top) alternating with white (bottom); there is a blue rectangle in
the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow
14-pointed star; the crescent and the star are traditional symbols of
Islam; the design was based on the flag of the US |
|
Economy - overview: |
Malaysia, a middle-income
country, has transformed itself since the 1970s from a producer of raw
materials into an emerging multi-sector economy. Since coming to office in
2003, Prime Minister ABDULLAH has tried to move the economy farther up the
value-added production chain by attracting investments in high technology
industries, medical technology, and pharmaceuticals. Kuala Lumpur is also
trying to boost domestic demand to wean the economy off of its dependence
on exports. Nevertheless, exports - particularly of electronics - continue
to drive the economy. As an oil and gas exporter, Malaysia has profited
from higher world energy prices, although the rising cost of domestic
gasoline and diesel fuel forced Kuala Lumpur to reduce government
subsidies. Malaysia "unpegged" the ringgit from the US dollar in 2005 and
the currency appreciated 6% per year against the dollar in 2006-07.
Although this has helped to hold down the price of imports, inflationary
pressures began to build in 2007. Healthy foreign exchange reserves and a
small external debt greatly reduce the risk that Malaysia will experience
a financial crisis over the near term similar to the one in 1997. The
government presented its five-year national development agenda in April
2006 through the Ninth Malaysia Plan, a comprehensive blueprint for the
allocation of the national budget from 2006-10. With national elections
expected within the year, ABDULLAH has unveiled a series of ambitious
development schemes for several regions that have had trouble attracting
business investment. Real GDP growth has averaged about 6% per year under
ABDULLAH, but regions outside of Kuala Lumpur and the manufacturing hub
Penang have not fared as well. |
|
GDP (purchasing power parity): |
$357.9 billion (2007 est.)
|
|
GDP (official exchange rate): |
$143.1 billion (2007 est.)
|
|
GDP - real growth rate: |
5.7% (2007 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita (PPP): |
$14,400 (2007 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 8.6%
industry: 47.8%
services: 43.6% (2007 est.) |
|
Labor force: |
10.91 million (2007 est.)
|
|
Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture: 13%
industry: 36%
services: 51% (2005 est.) |
|
Unemployment rate: |
3.1% (2007 est.) |
|
Population below poverty line: |
5.1% (2002 est.) |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage
share: |
lowest 10%: 1.4%
highest 10%: 39.2% (2003 est.) |
|
Distribution of family income - Gini index: |
46.1 (2002) |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
2.1% (2007 est.) |
|
Investment (gross fixed): |
20.2% of GDP (2007 est.) |
|
Budget: |
revenues: $41.01 billion
expenditures: $46.96 billion (2007 est.) |
|
Public debt: |
41% of GDP (2007 est.) |
|
Agriculture - products: |
Peninsular Malaysia - rubber,
palm oil, cocoa, rice; Sabah - subsistence crops, rubber, timber,
coconuts, rice; Sarawak - rubber, pepper, timber |
|
Industries: |
Peninsular Malaysia - rubber
and oil palm processing and manufacturing, light manufacturing,
electronics, tin mining and smelting, logging, timber processing; Sabah -
logging, petroleum production; Sarawak - agriculture processing, petroleum
production and refining, logging |
|
Industrial production growth rate: |
2.6% (2007 est.) |
|
Electricity - production: |
82.36 billion kWh (2005) |
|
Electricity - production by source: |
fossil fuel: 89.5%
hydro: 10.5%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
|
|
Electricity - consumption: |
78.72 billion kWh (2005) |
|
Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh (2005) |
|
Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (2005) |
|
Oil - production: |
751,800 bbl/day (2005 est.)
|
|
Oil - consumption: |
501,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
|
|
Oil - exports: |
611,200 bbl/day (2004) |
|
Oil - imports: |
278,600 bbl/day (2004) |
|
Oil - proved reserves: |
3 billion bbl (1 January 2006
est.) |
|
Natural gas - production: |
60.9 billion cu m (2005 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - consumption: |
31.84 billion cu m (2005 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - exports: |
29.06 billion cu m (2005 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - imports: |
0 cu m (2005) |
|
Natural gas - proved reserves: |
2.037 trillion cu m (1 January
2006 est.) |
|
Current account balance: |
$25.93 billion (2007 est.)
|
|
Exports: |
$169.9 billion f.o.b. (2007
est.) |
|
Exports - commodities: |
electronic equipment, petroleum
and liquefied natural gas, wood and wood products, palm oil, rubber,
textiles, chemicals |
|
Exports - partners: |
US 18.8%, Singapore 15.4%,
Japan 8.9%, China 7.2%, Thailand 5.3%, Hong Kong 4.9% (2006) |
|
Imports: |
$132.7 billion f.o.b. (2007
est.) |
|
Imports - commodities: |
electronics, machinery,
petroleum products, plastics, vehicles, iron and steel products, chemicals
|
|
Imports - partners: |
Japan 13.3%, US 12.6%, China
12.2%, Singapore 11.7%, Thailand 5.5%, Taiwan 5.5%, South Korea 5.4%,
Germany 4.4% (2006) |
|
Economic aid - recipient: |
$31.6 million (2005) |
|
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: |
$104.8 billion (31 December
2007 est.) |
|
Debt - external: |
$57.83 billion (30 June 2007)
|
|
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: |
$77.7 billion (2006 est.)
|
|
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: |
$34.42 billion (2006 est.)
|
|
Market value of publicly traded shares: |
$235.4 billion (2006) |
|
Currency (code): |
ringgit (MYR) |
|
Currency code: |
MYR |
|
Exchange rates: |
ringgits per US dollar - 3.46
(2007), 3.6683 (2006), 3.8 (2005), 3.8 (2004), 3.8 (2003) |
|
Fiscal year: |
calendar year |
|
Telephones - main lines in use: |
4.342 million (2006) |
|
Telephones - mobile cellular: |
19.464 million (2006) |
|
Telephone system: |
general assessment:
modern system; international service excellent
domestic: good
intercity service provided on Peninsular Malaysia mainly by microwave
radio relay; adequate intercity microwave radio relay network between
Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; domestic satellite system with 2 earth
stations; combined fixed-line and mobile cellular teledensity approaching
100 per 100 persons
international: country code - 60; landing
point for several major international submarine cable networks that
provide connectivity to Asia, Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth
stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean, 1 Pacific Ocean) (2001) |
|
Radio broadcast stations: |
AM 35, FM 391, shortwave 15
(2001) |
|
Radios: |
10.9 million (1999) |
|
Television broadcast stations: |
88 (mainland Malaysia 51, Sabah
16, and Sarawak 21) (2006) |
|
Televisions: |
10.8 million (1999) |
|
Internet country code: |
.my |
|
Internet hosts: |
337,674 (2007) |
|
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): |
7 (2000) |
|
Internet users: |
11.292 million (2006)
|
|
Airports: |
116 (2007) |
|
Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 36
over
3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m:
8
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 6 (2007) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 80
1,524
to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 72
(2007) |
|
Heliports: |
2 (2007) |
|
Pipelines: |
condensate 282 km; gas 5,273
km; oil 1,750 km; oil/gas/water 19 km; refined products 114 km (2007)
|
|
Railways: |
total: 1,890 km
standard gauge: 57 km 1.435-m gauge (57 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,833 km 1.000-m gauge (150 km electrified)
(2006) |
|
Roadways: |
total: 98,721 km
paved: 80,280 km (includes 1,821 km of expressways)
unpaved: 18,441 km (2004) |
|
Waterways: |
7,200 km
note:
Peninsular Malaysia 3,200 km; Sabah 1,500 km; Sarawak 2,500 km (2005)
|
|
Merchant marine: |
total: 304 ships (1000
GRT or over) 6,154,877 GRT/8,364,578 DWT
by type: bulk carrier
16, cargo 98, chemical tanker 30, container 47, liquefied gas 30,
livestock carrier 1, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 68, roll on/roll
off 5, vehicle carrier 4
foreign-owned: 43 (China 1, Germany 2,
Hong Kong 14, Japan 4, Singapore 22)
registered in other
countries: 67 (Bahamas 11, Kiribati 1, Marshall Islands 3, Mongolia 1,
Panama 14, Philippines 2, Singapore 28, Thailand 3, US 4, unknown 1)
(2007) |
|
Ports and terminals: |
Bintulu, Johor Bahru, Kuantan,
Labuan, George Town (Penang), Port Kelang, Tanjung Pelepas |
|
Military branches: |
Malaysian Armed Forces
(Angkatan Tentera Malaysia, ATM): Malaysian Army (Tentera Darat Malaysia),
Royal Malaysian Navy (Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia, TLDM), Royal Malaysian
Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia, TUDM) (2008) |
|
Military service age and obligation: |
18 years of age for voluntary
military service (2005) |
|
Manpower available for military service: |
males age 18-49:
5,584,231
females age 18-49: 5,510,345 (2005 est.) |
|
Manpower fit for military service: |
males age 18-49:
4,574,854
females age 18-49: 4,613,321 (2005 est.) |
|
Manpower reaching military service age annually: |
males age 18-49: 244,418
females age 18-49: 231,896 (2005 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: |
2.03% (2005 est.)
|
|
Disputes - international: |
Malaysia has asserted
sovereignty over the Spratly Islands together with China, Philippines,
Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; while the 2002 "Declaration on the
Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions over the
Spratly Islands, it is not the legally binding "code of conduct" sought by
some parties; Malaysia was not party to the March 2005 joint accord among
the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam on
conducting marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; disputes
continue over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore, Singapore's land
reclamation, bridge construction, and maritime boundaries in the Johor and
Singapore Straits; in November 2007, the ICJ will hold public hearings in
response to the Memorials and Countermemorials filed by the parties in
2003 and 2005 over sovereignty of Pedra Branca Island/Pulau Batu Puteh,
Middle Rocks and South Ledge; ICJ awarded Ligitan and Sipadan islands,
also claimed by Indonesia and Philippines, to Malaysia but left maritime
boundary and sovereignty of Unarang rock in the hydrocarbon-rich Celebes
Sea in dispute; separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslim
southern provinces prompts measures to close and monitor border with
Malaysia to stem terrorist activities; Philippines retains a dormant claim
to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo; Brunei and Malaysia are
still considering international adjudication over their disputed offshore
and deepwater seabeds, where hydrocarbon exploration was terminated in
2003; Malaysia's land boundary with Brunei around Limbang is in dispute;
piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait |
|
Refugees and internally displaced persons: |
refugees (country of
origin): 19,153 (Indonesia), 14,208 (Burma) (2006) |
|
Trafficking in persons: |
current situation:
Malaysia is a destination and, to a lesser extent, a source and transit
country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual
exploitation; foreign victims, mostly women and girls from Burma,
Cambodia, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, are
trafficked to Malaysia for commercial sexual exploitation; economic
migrants from countries in the region who work as domestic servants or
laborers in the construction and agricultural sectors face exploitative
conditions in Malaysia that meet the definition of involuntary servitude;
some Malaysian women, primarily of Chinese ethnicity, are trafficked
abroad for sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 3 - lack of
satisfactory progress in combating trafficking in 2006; the government
failed to prosecute traffickers arrested and detained under existing law
and failed to provide adequate shelters and services to victims of
trafficking |
|
Illicit drugs: |
drug trafficking prosecuted
vigorously and carries severe penalties; heroin still primary drug of
abuse, but synthetic drug demand remains strong; continued ecstasy and
methamphetamine producer for domestic users and, to a lesser extent, the
regional drug market |
|
This page was last updated on 12 February,
2008
|
This page was last updated on 12 February, 2008
|
