Malaysia slaps temporary ban on intake of Indonesian workers
Malaysia slaps temporary ban on intake of Indonesian workers
Agencies, Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta
Malaysia will temporarily halt the intake of Indonesian
workers following recent riots and consider labor from Cambodia
and Vietnam, Deputy Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Wednesday.
The cabinet had also agreed to set up a team of coastguards to
prevent illegal entry through the country's long shoreline,
Abdullah said.
"We will not be able to take the Indonesian workers now," he
told a news conference to outline government policies on foreign
workers.
"We don't use the word freeze but for the time being, we
should also be giving places to other workers. For a long time we
have been giving preference to the recruitment of Indonesian
workers," he was quoted by AFP as saying.
"There are other countries that have been appealing to us to
take some of their workers like Cambodia, Vietnam and others.
It's about time we gave them some consideration."
Abdullah, who is also the home minister, said there were
already too many Indonesian workers in Malaysia, including a huge
population of illegal immigrants.
"There has been too much trouble."
In response to Kuala Lumpur's stiff measures, the Consortium
for Indonesian Migrant Workers Advocacy criticized Malaysian
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad for deporting the rioting workers
too quickly without first completing a proper investigation into
the riot apparently sparked by "dubious" charges of possible drug
use by the workers.
"Don't forget that Malaysia's Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur and
the Sepang International Airport are just among a few of your
country's buildings built with the powerful force of Indonesian
laborers," the consortium said in a written statement sent to The
Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
"At least carry out a fair investigation into the riot."
Meanwhile, in Jakarta, the government sent two officials to
Malaysia on Monday to provide legal assistance to Indonesian
workers arrested for rioting there, Minister of Manpower and
Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea said.
"One is a director from our manpower ministry and the other is
a former labor attache there," Jacob said after a Cabinet meeting
on Wednesday.
Jacob said that the government would provide a legal defense
for the workers.
He also urged Malaysia to not discriminate against Indonesian
workers.
"(Malaysia) needs our workers. There are about 400,000
Indonesians working there ... I doubt Malaysia would just leave
us behind," Jacob told reporters.
"If the Malaysian government truly wishes to deport our
workers, I hope only those who are guilty will be sent home."
He repeated his regret over the incident and said that
Indonesia would closely screen all overseas-bound workers in the
future.
Some 400 Indonesians staged the protest at a textile factory
in the central state of Negeri Sembilan on Jan. 17 after police
attempted to detain 16 workers for alleged drug abuse.
A total of 125 Indonesians were arrested after the riot.