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."