In a move to record the details of each visitor entering the country, the Malaysian government is poised to implement a biometric system at all entry points.

"The biometric system will be implemented all entry points from October to enable the particulars of each visitor to the country to be recorded," said Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

He said the system would also be able to alert immigration authorities on those barred from entering the country, besides facilitating immigration enforcement more comprehensively.

"With the biometric technology, which I was told will not cost very much, those who benefit in terms of foreign workers will also have to bear some responsibilities," he said.

He said employers too must play a role, and as they were responsible for bringing in foreign workers to the country, they also had to be responsible when their foreign workers ran away.

Currently, the employers did nothing when their foreign workers ran away, he told reporters after launching the "Countdown Famine 30 Hours" charity programme in Bukit Jalil here Sunday.

However he said in solving the problem of illegal workers, it needed the cooperation of all agencies involved in border control, such as immigration, marine police and the armed forces, besides bilateral cooperation with neighbouring countries' enforcement agencies.

Hishammuddin also said a comprehensive database would be put in place on the employment of foreign workers to prevent indiscriminate hiring of foreign labour.