Govt urged to help free 6,000 workers detained in KL<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Eleven non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
\nurged yesterday the government and the National Committee for
\nHuman Rights to help release 6,000 Indonesian workers confined in
\nMalaysian detention centers.<\/p>\n
The NGOs asked the government to openly inform the public
\nabout the condition of Indonesian workers, especially those who
\nare detained in various detention camps in Malaysia which are
\nsaid to be in poor condition.<\/p>\n
Hamsuk S. Widjaja, the immigration attache at the Indonesian
\nembassy in Kuala Lumpur, told visiting Indonesian reporters that
\nabout 6,000 Indonesian workers are currently being held in
\ndetention centers in Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Tenaganita, a Malaysian NGO, has sent a report to the
\nIndonesian embassy based on a survey of the condition of 340
\ndetainees in Semenyih, Juru, Kelantan, Johor and Malaka detention
\ncenters.<\/p>\n
Tenaganita stated that many Indonesian workers have been
\ntreated badly, and that some of detainees have been raped and
\ntortured.<\/p>\n
The NGOs have asked the government to inspect the workers'
\nstate in the Malaysian detention centers and offer the necessary
\nprotection.<\/p>\n
The Tenaganita report states that in the Semenyih detention
\ncenter there is only one toilet for 400 people. \"They are not
\ngiven clothes and have only one set of clothing for a month,\" it
\nstates.<\/p>\n
\"The condition of the food is very poor,\" it reports. \"Only
\none handful of cooked rice and a small amount of vegetables are
\ngiven to the detainees as well as a small amount of salted fish,
\ndivided between 20 people, is given for the main meal. At
\nbreakfast they receive two slices of bread, or cookies, and
\nwater. Occasionally they get to drink a small mug of black
\ncoffee,\" the report further states.<\/p>\n
Tati Krisnawaty of a Jakarta-based women's organization said
\nit is not easy to get the exact number of workers in Malaysia and
\ntheir sex because most of them do not have official documents.<\/p>\n
They are not illegal, \"only undocumented\", she said. Tati
\nadded that they are not criminals, they are only looking for jobs
\nthere.<\/p>\n
Most Indonesian workers sent to Malaysia have poor educational
\nbackgrounds, said Arifin M. Nur of the Mawaddah Foundation.<\/p>\n
They are only good for manual work or to work as domestic
\nhelpers, he said.<\/p>\n
\"They are usually less 'marketable' compared to Filipinos
\nbecause they do not speak English and are not used to electronic
\nequipment,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Arifin said that they are usually taken from the Indonesian
\ncountryside by labor recruiters and gathered by unauthorized
\noverseas workers companies.<\/p>\n
Tati said that even some authorized companies do not equip
\nworkers with complete documents. It shows, she said, that worker
\nexporters tend to misuse would-be workers and the Ministry of
\nManpower should improve its supervision in this area.<\/p>\n
\"These companies may be charged in court with selling people,
\nfraud and conning them with empty promises,\" a legal aid worker
\nof the Legal Aid Institute said.<\/p>\n
Tati said that her organization has urged the immigration
\noffice to curb this illicit business but the office seems to have
\ngot fed up with the situation and now shows a tendency of washing
\nits hands of it all.<\/p>\n
Yanti Mochtar of the Women's Solidarity Association said that
\nsince oil and gas exports has decreased in revenues, the
\ngovernment has taken fees from exported workers. (16)<\/p>",
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