Migrants begin trickling home from Malaysia

Migrants begin trickling home from Malaysia

The Jakarta Post, Batam/Samarinda/Jakarta

Hundreds of Indonesian workers in Malaysia began returning home
on Friday, marking the first day of the 17-day amnesty program
for illegal workers offered by the Malaysian government.

Boarding ferries, the workers, many who said they had become
alienated or disillusioned working in Malaysia, headed to ports
on Batam, and in Nunukan island in East Kalimantan.

Not all the workers had entered Malaysia illegally. Of the 230
migrant workers that arrived at the Batam Center port, 94 had
gone to Malaysia with legal immigration and working documents.

Data showed 336 Indonesian migrant workers had entered two
ports in Batam as of Friday evening, while a similar number
entered Tunon Taka seaport in Nunukan, deputy regent Kasmir Foret
said.

Upon alighting from the ferries, some workers headed to
barracks provided by local government and manpower recruitment
agencies (PJTKI), while others headed to cheap hotels before they
continued their journeys home.

Under the program, the Malaysian government is encouraging an
estimated 1.2 million illegal migrant workers, mostly from
Indonesia, to return home until Nov. 14 without punishment ahead
of the Idul Fitri celebrations.

The workers, also from the Philippines and China, are part of
total estimated 2.4 million migrant workers in Malaysia. All
travel fares are paid by the workers.

Raids are planned after the amnesty ends and illegal workers
who are caught will be fined and caned by the Malaysian police
and then deported.

A similar amnesty was offered to migrants by the Malaysian
government two years ago.

Some Indonesian workers said they were delighted they could
join the program.

"I will not return. The working conditions were terrible and
I'm afraid of being whipped if I am caught," said Afsoni, a 21-
year-old from the Indonesian island of Sumatra, quoted by
Reuters.

Afsoni said he had worked in a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur,
where he was paid 30 Malaysian ringgit (US$7.9) a day and allowed
to sleep for just four hours each night.

State Minister of State Enterprises Sugiharto said the
government would offer positions in 17 state-owned enterprises to
the returning workers.