10,000 illegal workers deported

PEKANBARU, Riau: Nearly 10,000 Indonesians deported by Malaysia arrived at Dumai port between January and April this year, a local official said yesterday.

A spokesman for the Riau immigration office Sudarjono said that several thousand other illegal Indonesian workers are awaiting repatriation through the same port.

This week, about 500 workers are expected to arrive from the prospering neighbor, he said as quoted by Antara.

"Malaysia has financed all the repatriation. We're only helping them (workers) return to their home villages," Sudarjono said.

More than 300,000 Indonesians work, either legally or otherwise, in Malaysia's plantation and construction sectors.