Fahmi in KL to discuss migrants' repatriation

Fahmi in KL to discuss migrants' repatriation

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Semarang/Surabaya/Pekanbaru

Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Fahmi Idris visited
Malaysia on Tuesday, amid complaints from Malaysian officials
over the slow progress of the deportation of illegal migrant
workers.

While in Malaysia, Fahmi is set to hold talks with Home
Minister Datuk Azmi Khalid and Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi on
Wednesday and Friday respectively, a senior Indonesian official I
Made Arka said on Tuesday.

The visit was aimed at ensuring a smooth process for the
illegal workers, who opt to take advantage of a Malaysian
government amnesty program during Ramadhan and voluntarily leave
Malaysia, said Made.

The amnesty program will end on Nov. 14, and after the end of
amnesty period, the estimated 400,000 illegals that remain will
be subject to deportation and harsh punishment, which could
include a hefty fine, imprisonment and/or whipping.

As of Tuesday, hundreds of Indonesian migrant workers were
lining up at the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur to obtain
passport substitute documents (SPLP) that would allow them to
return home.

Despite the large number of workers, the process was still
manageable, claimed Arka, the Director General of Migrant Worker
Placement at the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, who has
been in Malaysia since Tuesday.

Arka confirmed earlier that many migrant workers had fallen
victim to SPLP document scalpers to speed up the process.

The official fee to obtain should be 40 ringgit (US$10.5).
Arka called on the workers to be patient when waiting for the
SPLP documents.

Separately, Malaysian authorities reiterated their concerns
that the number of Indonesian migrant workers returning home was
still not encouraging as of Tuesday. Just under 9,000 illegals
had responded as of Tuesday to the amnesty offer by the Malaysian
government.

The number was far below expectations by the Malaysian
government, which had hoped that some 20,000 Indonesians would
return home each day.

"I cannot understand why they are not taking this opportunity
since the government is firm in not extending the amnesty period
beyond November 14," Azmi Khalid was quoted as saying by AFP.

Mohamad Nasir Osman, acting southern Johor state immigration
chief, told AFP that the poor response was apparently because the
migrants had not received their salaries.

Meanwhile in Jakarta, responding to Malaysia's complaints,
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said that the
Indonesian government had provided two cars to help expedite the
registration process for migrant workers wishing to return home.
The cars -- which doubled as mobile registration posts to reach
out to Indonesian migrant workers in remote areas of Malaysia --
had already been deployed eastern Malaysia on Borneo Island.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Indonesians continued to trickle home
on Tuesday, flooding seaports and airports across the country.
Over 100 illegal migrant workers arrived in Achmad Yani Airport
in Semarang, including three infants. Several dozen more
continued their journey by air to Surabaya, while some went by
bus to their villages in Central Java.

Dozens of other migrant workers arrived in Dumai seaport, in
Riau province.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is set to observe the
return of Indonesian migrant workers at the seaport on Wednesday.

In the visit, the president plans to hold talks with the
returning migrant workers, said Yoserizal Zein, the spokesman of
Riau provincial administration.