Local govts told to help illegal TKIs

Local govts told to help illegal TKIs

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno urged local administrations
on Wednesday to help illegal workers (TKIs) expelled from
Malaysia return to their home provinces.

"We call on regional administrations to accept and help
illegal migrant workers and coordinate their repatriation with
the local manpower office," Hari was quoted by Antara as saying
in Tampaksiring, 40 kilometers southeast of Denpasar, Bali on
Wednesday.

Due to their geographic proximity, East Kalimantan and North
Sumatra provinces have received most of the 300,000 illegal
Indonesian workers fleeing Malaysia due to new immigration laws
which threaten jail, caning and fines.

The North Sumatra provincial administration said earlier that
it would turn away ships ferrying illegal workers from Malaysia
unless the central government bore the cost.

Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla said
Tuesday that the government had earmarked Rp 30 billion to help
settle the returning workers.

Meanwhile, Manpower and Transmigration Minister Jacob Nuwa Wea
appealed to Malaysian authorities not to expel Indonesian workers
arbitrarily.

"Don't push (expell) illegal TKIs just like that because we
need each other," Jacob said in Tampaksiring, Bali on Wednesday.

He expressed hope that the illegal migrant workers issue would
be settled in the next three months.

During that period, he said, Indonesia would discuss with
Malaysia how many workers it needed, sectors that require their
service, salary, duration of contract of work, and protection of
TKIs.

"We will prepare all of these," Antara quoted Jacob as saying.