Malaysia prepares for biggest crackdown ever on illegals
Malaysia prepares for biggest crackdown ever on illegals
Jasbant Singh, Associated Press/Kuala Lumpur
More than 300,000 officials and volunteers were set to be
deployed in Malaysia's biggest crackdown against illegal migrant
workers, mostly Indonesians, after a government amnesty expires
on Monday.
"We will be strict but fair -- the operation will target both
illegal migrants and Malaysian employers who hire these people,"
Ishak Mohamad, the immigration enforcement chief who is
coordinating the crackdown, told The Associated Press on
Saturday.
He said about 300,000 policemen, government officials and
civilian volunteers will fan out across the country starting on
Tuesday to catch an estimated half million illegal workers who
have remained despite three extensions to the amnesty since
October. He called the upcoming crackdown "the most comprehensive
action taken to weed out the problem of illegal migrants in
Malaysia."
About 400,000 illegal migrants have returned home during the
amnesty period. Foreign workers are employed in Malaysia's
booming construction sector and palm oil plantations in some of
the most remote parts of the country including the eastern states
of Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo island. Besides the illegal
workers, there are some one million legal workers.
"Those illegals who remain in the country probably think we
are not serious," Ishak said. "But these migrants and their
employers better be warned ... the crackdown is on and there is
no turning back."
The government has faced accusations from Malaysians that it
has been too soft on the illegal migrants who have been blamed
for adding to the country's crime rate and social problems.
Those who return home under the amnesty will be allowed to re-
enter for work, provided they have valid papers. Those who remain
illegally will be arrested and face fines, jail terms and
possibly lashings with a rattan cane before being deported.
They will also be barred from returning to Malaysia even as
tourists.
Indonesian authorities have opened "one-stop processing
centers" in major Indonesian cities and ports to issue travel
documents to let workers return to Malaysia with minimum fuss,
Indonesian and Malaysian officials said.
Indonesia's Manpower Minister Fahmi Idris has urged Malaysia
to ensure that the crackdown would be free of human rights
abuses, echoing international rights groups' concerns that
overzealous officials may use excessive force to detain the
migrants.
Despite assurances that they would be allowed to re-enter,
many illegal migrants say they will stay put in Malaysia.
"People ask me many times am I not afraid of being caught and
jailed ... yes I am scared but what choice do I have," said Alia
Shukri, who hails from a remote village near Bali. "I have three
children and there is no chance to earn a decent income to
support them if I return home."
Alia arrived by ferry from Medan on a tourist visa less than a
year ago, and works odd jobs cleaning houses in an affluent
suburb north of Kuala Lumpur. She earns about 800 ringgit
(US$210) a month compared to 100 ringgit ($26) she earned as a
domestic help in Indonesia.
"I don't think I can come back to Malaysia if I leave," Alia
said. "I will probably have to fork out more money if I want to
come back and look for a job."
Construction worker Safuan, 45, said he has been living
illegally in Malaysia for two years and believes he will not be
arrested.
"I am a poor man who minds my own business and don't cause any
problems for anyone." Safuan said, adding that he will skip work
for some time "until the checks are less intense."