2,742 illegals arrive home

SURABAYA: At least 2,742 illegal migrant workers, who were granted amnesty by the Malaysian government, arrived at Tanjung Perak Port here on Sunday from the neighboring country aboard a Navy ship, KRI Nusa Nive.

"We expect 30,000 other illegals from East Java, who are still in Malaysia, will follow," East Java manpower office head Mohammad Djailani said.

He said the ship, which carried Indonesian workers, left Port Klang, Kuala Lumpur, several days ago, picking up some passengers at Jakarta's Tanjung Priok and Tanjung Emas in Semarang, Central Java, before heading to Surabaya.

The 2,742 illegals included 560 workers from Surabaya, 516 from Madura, 155 from Malang and 626 from Banyuwangi, Djailani added.

He said the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur was pushing for the immediate repatriation of other illegal migrant workers, before the amnesty program's deadline on Dec. 31, 2004. --JP