Crackdown on illegal starts March<\/p>\n
Agencies, Kuala Lumpur<\/p>\n
Malaysia will crack down hard on Indonesian illegal immigrants
\nfrom March 1, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said on Monday
\nafter talks with visiting President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.<\/p>\n
The new deadline, which could see hundreds of thousands of
\nillegal workers jailed, canned or deported, will mark the end of
\nan amnesty which has twice been extended at Indonesia's request.<\/p>\n
Abdullah made the announcement at a joint news conference with
\nSusilo after the two leaders held a private meeting.<\/p>\n
"The soft operation to advise illegals to return home will
\ncontinue until the end of February. We hope by then, all illegals
\nwill return home," Abdullah said as quoted by AFP.<\/p>\n
"Because from March 1 we will crack down on the illegals."<\/p>\n
The deported workers would be blacklisted and not allowed to
\nenter Malaysia ever again, even as tourists, Home Minister Azmi
\nKhalid was quoted by AP as saying.<\/p>\n
Susilo appeared to endorse the Malaysian stand, saying "we
\nwant to resolve any problem we have in good spirits, especially
\nof Indonesians working illegally in Malaysia."<\/p>\n
The comments signaled an easing of tensions between the two
\ncountries over the issue of illegal migrant workers. Since
\nMalaysia announced an amnesty in October for the 1 million
\nillegal migrant workers in the country -- most of them
\nIndonesians -- about 400,000 have left but another 500,000 have
\nremained.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government has said they are awaiting back
\nwages from unscrupulous employers who are refusing to pay several
\nmonths' salaries.<\/p>\n
Abdullah said the wage dispute does not involve the Malaysian
\ngovernment, but it is willing to coax employers to be fair.<\/p>\n
Besides the illegal workers, some 1.47 million Indonesians are
\nin Malaysia with legal work permits. Indonesian workers form the
\nbackbone of Malaysia's work force in menial jobs that Malaysians
\nrefuse to do -- on construction sites and plantations, in
\nrestaurants and other low-paying sectors.<\/p>\n
Last week the government of Indonesia accused Malaysia of
\nturning a blind eye to the unethical employers.<\/p>\n
The problem had threatened to blow up into a major diplomatic
\nspat after the government of Indonesia said it had hired lawyers
\nto sue the Malaysian employers. Indonesian Minister of Manpower
\nand Transmigration Fahmi Idris even urged Malaysia to cane such
\nemployers, triggering an uproar among Malaysian officials who
\nargued they didn't need to be lectured on how to deal with their
\nerrant citizens.<\/p>\n
On Monday, Fahmi said any legal action against the employers
\nwill be taken by the workers and not the government. The lawyers
\nwere hired by the government only to facilitate the workers, he
\ntold AP.<\/p>\n
"We agreed to settle the problem of Indonesian migrant
\nworkers, relating to their illegal status or their unpaid wages
\non a cooperative basis," said Fahmi, part of Susilo's entourage.<\/p>\n
"The government of Malaysia is trying to encourage the
\nemployers to pay up quickly. So Indonesia is leaving this fully
\nto the Malaysian government. We feel what the government of
\nMalaysia is willing to do is quite enough," he said.<\/p>\n
Susilo, who chose Malaysia to begin a traditional round of
\nvisits by new leaders to fellow members of the Association of
\nSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said the discussions were held
\n"in good spirit".<\/p>\n
Clearing up the bad blood was crucial for Malaysian companies
\nhoping to participate in the lucrative reconstruction of Aceh
\nfollowing the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami. Malaysian
\narchitects and town planners are drawing up a master plan to
\nrebuild Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province.<\/p>\n
Susilo welcomed Malaysia's help in rebuilding Banda Aceh, and
\nsaid the master plan would be ready by the end of march.<\/p>\n
"We will submit it to Malaysia to identify the exact form of
\ncooperation for the reconstruction of Aceh," he was quoted by AFP
\nas saying, without elaborating.<\/p>\n
Susilo is scheduled to visit Singapore on Tuesday and
\nWednesday.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/crackdown-on-illegal-starts-march-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}