Legal aid for RI workers in Malaysia

Legal aid for RI workers in Malaysia

JAKARTA: The government will provide legal assistance to the
Indonesian workers currently detained in Malaysia, Minister of
Justice and Human Rights Yusril Izha Mahendra announced on
Thursday.

"We have prepared legal assistance, but we would use local
lawyers, as there is no arrangement between our governments to
allow attorneys to practice law outside their country of origin,"
Yusril told reporters on Thursday.

Indonesian attorneys, however, would be on hand to observe and
provide recommendations to the Malaysian lawyers during the
trials, he added.

In mid-January, hundreds of Indonesian workers from a textile
factory attacked police when officers tried to detain their
colleagues suspected of taking drugs.

Dozens of workers accused of participating in the riot are
currently facing trial in Malaysia.

The riot has also prompted the Malaysian government to halve
the number of Indonesians working there legally. --JP