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.