E. Malaysia may accept Indonesians

E. Malaysia may accept Indonesians

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Despite the government's failure to obtain assurance from the
Malaysian government that Indonesian workers without the required
permits could return to Malaysia, at least 5,000 illegal workers
may be able to work legally again in East Malaysia, a report
said.

Augustine Chin, a Malaysian labor recruitment agent in
Sarawak, East Malaysia, said Sarawak needed 5,000 legal workers
to be taken from the returned illegal Indonesian workers for its
plantation.

"Workers who remain in Nunukan, East Kalimantan are applying
for passports to work legally in East Malaysia," he told The
Jakarta Post.

He said his company, the Agency Pekerjaan Kekal Abadi Sdn.
Bhd., also facilitated the processing of documents needed for the
illegal workers who wanted to return to work legally in Malaysia.

The clearance was given by the immigration office in Sarawak,
he added.

According to him, Sabah also required legal workers from
Indonesia, for which 700 former illegal workers had taken the
opportunity.

"More and more former illegal workers are applying to work
again in Sabah," he said.

Chin said the demand for Indonesian workers in East Malaysia
remained quite high.

"Companies in East Malaysia only want Indonesian workers.
There have been approaches from India and Bangladesh but they
failed to convince the companies."

The businessman said factors such as the similar culture and
language were the main reasons why East Malaysian companies
preferred Indonesian workers.

Up to 480,000 illegal Indonesia migrant workers must return
home after the Malaysian government implemented a new Immigration
Act on Aug. 1.

The new Act threatens illegal migrants with caning, fines and
prison sentences.

Of the total illegal workers, 240,000 are expected to return
home from East Malaysia through Nunukan.

Chin, however, claimed the number was exaggerated, saying that
the illegal Indonesian workers in East Malaysia were only about
30,000. They were working in the 300,000-hectare plantation area
in Sarawak before they were forced to return home.

Malaysian courts have sentenced seven illegal immigrants --
five from Indonesia -- with caning and jail sentences in the
first cases under the country's harsh new immigration laws,
report said.

Separately, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda denied
that he was responsible for the government's recent failure to
ask Malaysia to sign a deal related to Indonesian workers in
Malaysia.

"It's not my responsibility ... Please ask the Coordinating
Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla; he handles it," he was
quoted by Antara as saying on Saturday.

Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea said
Hassan was to blame for the cancellation of the signing of a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Indonesia and Malaysia
on migrant workers.

Meanwhile, Antara reported that some 1,000 illegal workers
arrived in Pare-pare, South Sulawesi, from Nunukan on a Navy
vessel on Saturday.

The workers were from Southeast Sulawesi, East Java, West Nusa
Tenggara, Central Sulawesi, North Sumatra and West Java
provinces.