Malaysia set to net 400,000 Indonesian illegal immigrants

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Following its fruitless persuasive approach, Malaysia will launch on Tuesday a major crackdown on around one million illegal immigrants -- mostly Indonesians -- who risk jail, fines, caning and deportation.

Malaysian Home Minister Azmi Khalid said in Kuala Lumpur on Monday that raids would start Monday midnight, and some 650,000 immigration officers, police and civilian volunteers are ready to nab all illegal immigrants in the country.

"We will track down illegal workers, arrest them and send them home," said Ishak Mohamed, the immigration official leading the crackdown, as quoted by Reuters.

The 2002 immigration law imposes penalties including imprisonment, fines and canings against illegal immigrants, as well as against Malaysians who employ and harbor illegal immigrants.

Ishak said about 400,000 illegal immigrants, most of them Indonesians, had left since the government threatened late last year to deport them unless they departed under the amnesty, but between 300,000 and 400,000 are estimated to remain.

Although the Malaysian government in November 2004 offered an amnesty that was extended twice in December 2004 and January 2005, as well as launching an operation to persuade illegals to leave, but most ignored it. Indonesian officials said unpaid salaries was the main reason illegal workers were reluctant to leave Malaysia.

Malaysia suffers a chronic labor shortage and relies heavily on cheap workers from Indonesia, just a ferry-boat ride away, to take up unskilled or semi-skilled work at construction sites, factories, plantations and restaurants.

Employers fear the drive against migrant workers will worsen the labor shortage, so Malaysia has adopted a "revolving-door" immigration policy to allow the quick return of illegal workers who leave under the amnesty -- as long as they come back using proper channels.

Illegal immigrants are believed to have contributed to increasing crime rates in Malaysia.

Chairuddin Harahap, a labor observer in Kuala Lumpur, said almost all construction projects and plantations in the city and outskirts have been deserted by workers as many illegal workers have fled into hiding to avoid arrest by Malaysian authorities.

"Many construction projects in the city and in private plantations heading to Port Klang have been deserted by foreign workers. They are believed to have gone into hiding in anticipation of a major raid," he said.

He said most illegal immigrants have been reluctant to come back home because of the high levies they were required to pay if they wanted to return to Malaysia.

"They prefer taking the risk of being jailed, fined and caned to paying Rp 2.9 million to the Indonesian government and Rp 2.8 million to the Malaysian government," he said.

Indonesian Director-General of Labor Export I Gusti Made Arka, who is accompanying Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Fahmi Idris on his visit to Kuala Lumpur, said the government's efforts to prevent raids had been exhausted.

"On the last day (Monday), only around 5,000 went home, with another 350,000 staying put," he said.

Fahmi is in Kuala Lumpur to ensure the crackdown is conducted "humanely".

"We will also want to see that Malaysian authorities impose sanctions against Malaysian employers who employ illegal workers," Arka said.

Bahri Jumairah, 36, a construction worker who left Kuala Lumpur on Monday for Indonesia, said he expected to take advantage of the policy and return within three months.

"I will have to borrow the money to pay for my journey back," Bahri told Reuters as he waited for a bus to the ferry that will take him home. "I don't know which company I will work for. I will have to find another job."