KL ready to deport RI illegals
KL ready to deport RI illegals
Agencies, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysian authorities will ensure there are sufficient boats to
ferry thousands of Indonesian illegal immigrants back home under
an amnesty program during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan, a
senior minister said on Sunday.
"We will organize more ferries. Police and immigration
officials will be deployed to ensure an orderly departure," Home
Minister Azmi Khalid told AFP.
"This is the best offer we can make. I urge all illegals in
Malaysia to leave without fear of penalties during the current
Muslim fasting month."
During a visit to Indonesia last week, Prime Minister Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi announced that illegal Indonesian workers - who form
the backbone of Malaysia's construction sector - would be given
free transport if they return home during Ramadhan. They would
not be fined or jailed.
The amnesty was subsequently extended to all illegal foreign
workers.
An Indonesian embassy official, speaking on condition of
anonymity, confirmed that an amnesty had been offered but that
those traveling home must pay for their own tickets, which
generally cost at least 6 ringgit (US$1.60; euro 1.25) each. He
could not immediately explain what happened to the offer of free
passage and had no estimate for how many Indonesians would leave.
Government officials were unavailable for comment on Sunday.
Immigration officials said that some 160,000 illegal
Indonesians are expected to return home by sea from the southern
Johor state and Port Klang, in central Selangor state.
Azmi advised the illegals to obtain travel documents from
their respective missions before departure and if they wished to
return, "please come back as legal workers".
The 17-day amnesty program begins from Oct. 29 to Nov. 14.
"After this period, we will come down hard on illegals. Don't
blame us," Azmi warned.
Abu Bakar Yeop, Johor immigration director said that some
100,000 illegal Indonesians are expected to depart from three
ports in the state.
"All eight operators at the three ferry terminals have agreed
to use their 27 boats, which can take some 18,000 people a day,"
he was quoted as saying by the Sunday Star newspaper.
Che Mamat Abdullah, Selangor immigration director said some
60,000 illegal immigrants in the state are expected to leave
through Port Klang to Tanjung Balai, Dumai and Belawan in
Sumatra, Indonesia.
Under tough laws introduced two years ago, illegal immigrants
face jail sentences of up to five years or fines of up to 10,000
ringgit (2,632 dollars), or both, plus whipping.
Eighteen thousand illegal immigrants have been whipped in
Malaysian prisons in the past two years.
A total of 6,000 illegal immigrants currently being held at
detention centers nationwide would be allowed to return to their
countries, provided they possess valid travel documents and are
not witnesses in court cases, Azmi said.
There are an estimated 1.2 million illegal immigrants in
Malaysia, mainly from neighboring Indonesia and the Philippines,
drawn to relatively prosperous Malaysia by jobs in construction,
plantation work and services.