Indonesians may return first

Indonesians may return first

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysia would give priority to workers from Indonesia if a ban on the recruitment of unskilled foreign labor is lifted, reports said yesterday.

Deputy Home Minister Tajol Rosli Ghazali said illegal Indonesian workers who had been deported would be the first to be asked to return here to work.

"From past experiences, we know that Indonesians are suited for work in the plantation, construction and service industries," Tajol Rosli was quoted as saying in The New Straits Times daily.

The government last week froze the intake of all foreign workers, who account for 1.7 million, or 8.3 percent, of Malaysia's 21 million population.