Malaysia to deport illegal workers only: Yusril<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Malaysia will only deport illegal Indonesian workers and will
\nallow legal workers to stay in that country, Indonesian Justice
\nand Human Rights Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra says.<\/p>\n
"(Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad) says not all
\nIndonesian workers will be deported. Only those who do not have
\nproper working permit will be expelled, while those who have
\nvalid working permit will be allowed to continue working in the
\ncountry," Yusril said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
He was speaking after a 10-minute informal meeting with
\nMahathir in Kuala Lumpur, Antara reported.<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri sent Yusril to Malaysia over
\nthe weekend to seek clarification on Malaysia's previous
\nannouncement that it would halve its number of registered
\nIndonesian workers.<\/p>\n
The announcement came after Indonesian workers clashed with
\nMalaysian police at a textile factory in Nilau, Negeri Sembilan
\nState on Jan. 17. The unrest broke out when the police tried to
\ndetain 16 Indonesian workers for alleged drug abuse.<\/p>\n
On Jan. 24, Mahathir said that his government had decided that
\nIndonesian workers would be the last option when recruiting
\nforeign workers.<\/p>\n
The announcement drew strong criticism from Indonesian
\nauthorities and labor activists, criticizing the Malaysian
\ngovernment for generalizing Indonesian workers as trouble-
\nmarkers.<\/p>\n
Labor activists and non-governmental organizations even went
\nas far as calling on Indonesian workers in Malaysia to launch a
\nmassive strike against the decision.<\/p>\n
Currently, there are approximately 900,000 Indonesian workers
\nregistered in the country, excluding thousands of illegal
\nworkers.<\/p>\n
Yusril said Mahathir also told him that Malaysia would not
\nallow Indonesian workers to be concentrated in one working area
\nas it is now.<\/p>\n
"The consideration is if they are concentrated in one place,
\nthey feel strong to violate prevailing laws," Yusril quoted
\nMahathir as saying.<\/p>\n
During the meeting, Yusril conveyed President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri's wish that relations between Indonesia and
\nMalaysia would not be harmed by the labor dispute.<\/p>\n
Yusril also said that Indonesia respected legal measures taken
\nby the Malaysian government, especially against 500 Indonesian
\nworkers taking part in the riots, but also expressed hope that
\n"the legal process would be fair".<\/p>\n
"We call on the Malaysian government to have a fair legal
\nprocess against Indonesian workers (involved in the riot),"
\nYusril said.<\/p>\n
Malaysian authorities said last week that more than a dozen
\nIndonesian workers would stand trial soon for participating in a
\nviolent protest in central Malaysia after police tried to detain
\n16 of their co-workers for drug abuse. A total of 129 of the 500
\nworkers who were indirectly involved in the riot were deported to
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Yusril said the informal meeting would be followed with a
\nformal meeting between the two countries. On Feb. 18, Foreign
\nAffairs Minister Hassan Wirayuda will lead an Indonesian
\ndelegation for talks with his Malaysian counterpart Hamid Albar
\nin Kuala Lumpur.<\/p>\n
Later on, Minister for Manpower and Transmigration Yacob Nuwa
\nWea will travel to Malaysia to meet his counterpart, also in
\nKuala Lumpur.<\/p>\n
"The government wants this issue to cool down," Yusril said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Association of Indonesian Workers Recruitment
\nAgencies said on Saturday that 228 Indonesian workers deported by
\nMalaysian authorities had been sent to their respective homes.<\/p>\n
The 228 workers came from Aceh, 106 people, Riau, 66, North
\nSumatra, 45, Lampung, 9, and East Nusa Tenggara, 3.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/malaysia-to-deport-illegal-workers-only-yusril-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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