Mega asks for deportation delay

Mega asks for deportation delay

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri has made use of her personal
ties with Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to
resolve the nagging problem of illegal migrants.

Megawati's campaign team said the President had talked with
Badawi on the phone on Thursday, asking the Malaysian government
to delay the planned deportation of an estimated 600,000
Indonesian illegal migrants working in the neighboring country.

During the conversation, Megawati suggested the delay was
necessary to find a proper and humane mechanism of deportation,
Mega Center press coordinator Peter A. Rahi was quoted by Antara
as saying on Friday.

However, foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa would not
confirm the report. He told a press briefing on Friday he was yet
to be informed of the phone talks between the two leaders.

In his press statement, Peter said the delay was being sought
as the Indonesian government was preparing a task force to
support the deportation.

"There will be a presidential decree to set up the task
force," Peter said.

The statement said, Badawi expressed his understanding of
Indonesia's domestic problem and promised to delay it until the
task force team was officially set up.

Earlier this month, Malaysia warned all companies hiring
illegal workers to immediately send them home and process their
documents to allow them to work legally. The Malaysian government
also plans to conduct raids in the near future.

Over 400,000 Indonesian migrant workers were stranded on the
island of Nunukan, East Kalimantan -- which borders with Malaysia
-- in 2002, after the neighboring country enacted a stricter
immigration act. The government's slow action in the face of the
mass exodus was blamed for a humanitarian catastrophe, which
caused 70 people to die of starvation and disease, following the
deportation.

Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said on
Wednesday that Jakarta was asking that the planned mass
deportation be delayed until after the presidential election
runoff on Sept. 20. The minister warned that deportation during
the election could harm relations between the two countries.

Marty said on Friday, the government would discuss the
establishment of the task force to deal with the deportation
during a Cabinet meeting next week.

The deportation will cost Indonesia an estimate Rp 140 billion
(US$15.5 million) in transportation expenses from Malaysia to the
workers' home villages. However, manpower minister Jacob Nuwa Wea
expects the government to spend more, as it has to provide jobs
for the deported migrant workers.

The ports of Belawan in North Sumatra, Kuala Tungkal in Jambi,
Tanjung Pinang in Riau, Pare-Pare in South Sulawesi, Tanjung
Priok in Jakarta, Tanjung Perak in East Java and Entikong in West
Kalimantan will serve as entry points for workers returning to
Indonesia.

Nuwa Wea said the Indonesian Military would ready six warships
to transport the illegal workers to the ports nearest their
hometowns.