M'sia asked not to deport migrants<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Rights group Amnesty International urged Malaysia on Tuesday not
\nto deport migrants caught in a crackdown set to begin March 1,
\nwarning that some refugees and asylum-seekers among the migrants
\nfaced torture or detention at home.<\/p>\n
Malaysia on Monday gave illegal immigrants two weeks to leave
\nthe country, delaying the crackdown for a third time in a
\nconcession to poorer neighbor Indonesia, from which the majority
\nof the immigrants come.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi made the concession in
\ntalks with visiting Indonesian President Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono, who has resisted a sudden influx of needy people as
\nhis country recovers from the devastating tsunami of Dec. 26.<\/p>\n
"However, we remain gravely concerned that refugees, asylum-
\nseekers and migrants caught up in any large-scale deportation
\noperation are still at risk of serious human rights violations,"
\nAmnesty International said in a statement as quoted by Reuters.<\/p>\n
It said undocumented workers should receive a fair hearing
\nbefore being expelled. The group asked authorities to refrain
\nfrom cruel or degrading treatment during the crackdown, and urged
\nfair trials for those detained for immigration violations.<\/p>\n
Officials say between 200,000 and 400,000 illegal immigrants
\nremain in Malaysia, although 400,000 are estimated to have taken
\nadvantage of the amnesty to leave the country without punishment.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, dozens of migrant workers who claimed to have
\nsuffered abuse in Malaysia staged an art happening outside the
\nMalaysian Embassy in Jakarta to protest the plight of migrants in
\nthat country.<\/p>\n
The protest was organized by the Federation of Indonesian
\nMigrant Workers Organizations (FOBMI) and involved approximately
\n30 migrant workers who had returned from Malaysia.<\/p>\n
A skinny man wearing just boxer shorts, representing abused
\nmigrant workers, stood bound in chains in front of the closed
\nblack gate of the embassy.<\/p>\n
A man representing Malaysian employers lashed him while
\nanother man kicked and punched him while calling him names.<\/p>\n
"Don't look with your physical eyes but with your heart's
\neyes," shouted a protester standing in the background.<\/p>\n
Protest leader Miftaf Farid said this was their perception of
\nthe "inhuman treatment" of migrant workers by abusive employers.<\/p>\n
The protesters took turns shouting out against what they
\ncalled the infringement of human rights of illegal workers. They
\nclaimed workers were subject to physical abuse by some employers.<\/p>\n
The group demanded the deportation of illegal workers be
\nstopped and that the Malaysian government legalize their status.<\/p>\n
FOBMI urged the Indonesian and Malaysian governments to sign a
\nmemorandum of understanding promising that the rights of the
\nworkers would be respected.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government should set up a team to investigate
\nany human rights infringements that occur during the
\ndeportations, the group added.<\/p>\n
"The Indonesian government should improve the protection
\nsystem for workers in foreign countries, while the Malaysians
\nshould improve their mechanisms for dealing with migrant
\nworkers," FOBMI chairwoman Dina Nurayati said.<\/p>\n
"The Malaysian government must punish employers who employ
\nillegal migrants and employers must quickly pay the workers'
\nsalaries," she added.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, M. Sidarta, coordinator of the Alliance of the
\nUnited People of Banten, said the Malaysian government was not
\nsolely to blame for the plight of the illegal Indonesian workers.<\/p>\n
"Our government allowed the problem to arise because the
\ncomplicated bureaucratic procedures in applying for work permits
\nmake them very costly." (005)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/msia-asked-not-to-deport-migrants-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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