PETALING JAYA, Feb 8 (Bernama) — Legal actions and sanctions against companies over human rights issues are increasing worldwide, and KPMG cautions Malaysian companies to wake up to this risk before it’s too late. A check of the Withhold Release Orders (WRO) list issued by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) included four companies from Malaysia as of December 2020: Sime Darby Plantation Berhad, FGV Holdings Berhad, Top Glove Sdn Bhd and TG Medical Sdn Bhd.
The WRO effectively prevents imported goods from entering the United States if suspected to be produced by forced labor. Based on the updated active list, Malaysia currently has the second highest number of companies in the WRO – second to China.¹ On 12 January 2021, the UK and Canada became the latest jurisdictions to impose new policies on imports as measures to combat forced labor and human rights violations.²
