6,000 illegal RI workers still held in Malaysia

6,000 illegal RI workers still held in Malaysia

JAKARTA (JP): Six thousand illegal Indonesian workers are
still being held at Malaysian immigration detention centers, an
official at the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur said Monday.

"The number may grow as more illegal workers keep coming while
operations against them continue," the head of the embassy's
immigration section, Hamsuk Santawijaya, was quoted by Antara as
saying.

The Indonesian workers are detained in eight immigration
detention centers in Penang, Perak, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan,
Selangor, Johor, Malaka and Kelantan.

Indonesia recently brought home a large number of workers from
that country using naval ships.

Hamsuk said Malaysia's repatriation of illegal Indonesian
workers would continue. Indonesian illegal workers reportedly
outnumber those from Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and the
Philippines.

Kuala Lumpur passed a regulation last month to reduce the
number of foreign workers following the weakening of the
Malaysian ringgit against the dollar that increased the cost of
imported labor.

Of the 1.7 million foreigners working in Malaysia, 500,000 are
legal Indonesian workers while the number of illegal Indonesian
laborers is believed to be far greater.

Most of the illegal workers were lured by unauthorized brokers
and promised jobs as laborers in coconut plantations and in
factories earning up to 15 ringgit (US$4.5 dollars) per day.

Meanwhile, rescuers are continuing the search for 22 deported
workers missing after their boat sank in bad weather in the
Strait of Malacca on their way to Medan in North Sumatra.

The small wooden boat was overloaded with 40 passengers when
it left Penang island in Malaysia and capsized Friday.

Separately yesterday, Muladi of the National Commission on
Human Rights said that a team of legislators, who departed for
Saudi Arabia recently, must give a detailed explanation about the
situation of Indonesian workers there upon returning home.

Muladi spoke to the House of Representatives, Antara reported.
There were no other details about the team or when they will
return.

Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief said Friday that 359
Indonesians are currently imprisoned in Saudi Arabia. They have
been convicted of various crimes, including theft, overstaying
their visas, document forgery and adultery. (10/21)