Malaysia detains 6,000 RI illegal migrant workers
Malaysia detains 6,000 RI illegal migrant workers
KUALA LUMPUR (JP): Malaysian authorities have detained more
than 6,000 Indonesian job seekers who migrated to the neighbor
country illegally this month, Indonesian diplomats revealed on
the weekend.
Supeno Sahid, Consul General at the Indonesian Embassy here,
said over the weekend that the people had entered Malaysia
without the required documents, including passports and labor
contracts, and were being detained in detention camps in Penang,
Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Pahang, Kelantan and
Johor.
"These job seekers, mostly from East Java and Lombok, West
Nusa Tenggara, are still serving their jail sentences before
being deported to Indonesia in accordance with this country's
immigration law," he said, citing that most people were captured
and sent to the detention camps upon arrival in the country.
They entered Malaysia through Batam, Tanjung Pinang and Dumai
in Riau province with the help of illegal labor brokers, and were
originally destined for plantations in the Malaysian peninsula.
Supeno suggested that thousands of other Indonesian workers
had entered the country illegally, without being detected by
Malaysian authorities, and were now working in plantations and
construction projects under poor conditions with little payment.
He said that it was difficult to prevent Indonesian laborers
from migrating to the country, whose economy had recovered from
the economic crisis.
"Indonesian job seekers will continue to migrate to Malaysia
because of the high unemployment rate in Indonesia and the higher
monthly wages in Malaysia," Supeno said.
According to Supeno, the minimum monthly wage in the country
is set at 800 Malaysian ringgit, equivalent to Rp 1,840,000 or
US$216.
The Malaysian government has tightened its policy on the
recruitment of foreign workers due to the presence of millions of
illegal workers and increasing crime, including murder, rape and
narcotics trade.
Its labor law threatens a fine of between 5,000 ringgit and
10,000 ringgit, or a maximum five-year jail sentence, against
Malaysian employers who employ illegal foreign migrant workers.
"So far, no Malaysian employers have been convicted for
employing illegal expatriates. The Malaysian authorities look
extra alert in enforcing the law to maintain better bilateral
ties with Indonesia," said Supeno.
He noted that the registered number of Indonesian migrant
workers in Malaysia was around 600,000 but the real figure was
predicted to have reached more than two million.
Masri Hasyar, the embassy's labor attache, called on the
Indonesian government to be more serious in handling the illegal
worker issue, because it could damage the two countries'
bilateral ties.
He said Malaysia opened its gates to Indonesian workers, but
they were required to enter the country with official documents
for monitoring purposes.
He cited that in 2000 alone, Malaysia recorded various
criminal cases involving 650 Indonesian workers.
Of those cases, 92 Indonesians were apprehended for working as
prostitutes in restaurants and hotels, 160 were killed, 35 were
involved in murder cases, 37 were involved in the narcotics
trade, 15 were jailed for illegal weapons possession and 250 were
arrested for not possessing official documents.
According to data at the embassy, the Malaysian authorities
deported around 69,000 illegal workers to Indonesia between Jan.
2000 and Feb. 2001. (rms)