64 workers, children die in Nunukan
64 workers, children die in Nunukan
Fitri Wulandari and Tertiani Z.B. Simanjuntak, Nunukan, East
Kalimantan
At least 64 illegal Indonesian workers and their children here
have died from illnesses in the past month after they fled
Malaysia, relief workers and health officials said on Saturday.
Indonesian relief workers said the fate of the some 22,000
people stranded in the East Kalimantan town of Nunukan, near the
border with Malaysia's Sabah state on Borneo island, was a
national disaster.
The migrant workers and their families have been sleeping in
open spaces, marketplaces and on sidewalks across the town. Their
plight has been worsened by a lack of food and clean water. Most
of the deaths were caused by respiratory problems and diarrhea.
Some have managed to erect makeshift tents.
The returnees in Nunukan are the latest in a wave of illegals
hounded out by the Malaysian authorities after Kuala Lumpur
cracked down on an estimated 600,000 undocumented workers.
Nunukan is located some 1,700 km northeast of Jakarta. The
town's only public health center is barely able to cope with the
illegal migrants.
"There are 10 medical staff, but only three are really
working. The rest are either sick or involved in other duties,
including training. The three medical staff are stretched between
the health center and nine health posts set up across the town to
help the refugees," Hapsah Amir, head nurse at the health center,
told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
Hapsah said the Nunukan administration had asked the Ministry
of Health to send additional medical personnel but so far had
received no response.
The head of the administration of the Nunukan Health Office,
M. Jafri Usman, added that most of the workers who had died in
Nunukan had contracted illnesses while still in Malaysia.
"They were held in temporary camps in Malaysia prior to
leaving and the conditions there were very, very bad. Many
suffered from diarrhea and respiratory problems," Jafri told the
Post.
Matters will likely worsen as between 500 and 600 workers are
entering Nunukan each day from South Sulawesi, hoping to return
to Malaysia. Their arrival has further aggravated the situation,
since the town's population of 40,000 and its facilities are in
no way designed to cope with such an influx.
The government's lack of attention to the fate of the migrant
workers has prompted criticism.
Chairman of the United Democratic National Party (PDK) Ryaas
Rasyid said the government's handling of the migrant worker
disaster lacked clarity and sensitivity.
"What is clear is that President Megawati Soekarnoputri will
go ahead with her foreign trip at a time when she is needed at
home," Ryaas said as quoted by Antara.
Ryaas added that the government was insensitive and Cabinet
ministers irresponsible for allowing the conditions in Nunukan to
get so bad.
PDK co-founder Andi Mallarangeng added that Indonesia should
treat its workers as heroes, the way the Philippines did.
"Their workers were deported and were welcomed by their
president on arriving home," said Mallarangeng.
Malaysia's government gave illegal immigrants, the majority of
them Indonesians, until Aug. 31 to leave or face penalties of six
months' jail, fines and up to six strokes of the cane. The
deadline was later extended for one month.
The issue has enraged politicians in Indonesia and the
Philippines and underscored some of the latent tensions
smoldering under the surface in Southeast Asia.
Indonesia has long supplied Malaysia with workers for its
construction and manufacturing sectors. But after a series of
violent incidents, mainly involving Indonesians, and an economic
slowdown, Malaysia intensified its crackdown on illegal workers.
Meanwhile, around 80,000 Indonesians were still stranded in
Sabah as the Aug. 31, 2002 deadline for illegal workers to leave
Malaysia expired at midnight. They now face arrest and caning.
Indonesia and Malaysia are scheduled to hold talks on the
migrant worker issue later this month. The talks will focus on
worker protection, remuneration and rights.