Malaysian women 'need parents' travel OK'

(CNN) -- The Malaysian government is proposing that women who travel abroad by themselves carry letters from their parents or employers explicitly laying out the reason for the trip, the New Sunday Times newspaper reported.

The proposal, submitted to the Cabinet and widely condemned by various quarters, is meant to prevent Malaysian women from becoming drug carriers for international cartels, Foreign Minister Rais Yatim is quoted as saying in the newspaper.

"Many of these women (who travel alone) leave the country on the pretext of work or attending courses and seminars," Rais said. "With this declaration, we will know for sure where and for what she is traveling overseas."

The National Council for Women's Organizations Malaysia (NCWO) called the proposal "backward and unfair."

"This is an infringement of our rights," organization Deputy President Faridah Khalid told the newspaper. "Why must you put more restrictions on women? We have worked hard over the years to get to this level."

The newspaper reported that 119 Malaysians, 90 percent of whom are women, are in prison around the world for drug-related offenses.

Most of the women are between 21 and 27. Many of them were accosted at night clubs and were recruited as mules to smuggle drugs into European Union countries, the newspaper said.

Those countries do not not require visas for short stays or for transit stops, according to the report. E-mail to a friend

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