M'sia asked not to deport migrants
M'sia asked not to deport migrants
The Jakarta Post, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta
Rights group Amnesty International urged Malaysia on Tuesday not
to deport migrants caught in a crackdown set to begin March 1,
warning that some refugees and asylum-seekers among the migrants
faced torture or detention at home.
Malaysia on Monday gave illegal immigrants two weeks to leave
the country, delaying the crackdown for a third time in a
concession to poorer neighbor Indonesia, from which the majority
of the immigrants come.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi made the concession in
talks with visiting Indonesian President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono, who has resisted a sudden influx of needy people as
his country recovers from the devastating tsunami of Dec. 26.
"However, we remain gravely concerned that refugees, asylum-
seekers and migrants caught up in any large-scale deportation
operation are still at risk of serious human rights violations,"
Amnesty International said in a statement as quoted by Reuters.
It said undocumented workers should receive a fair hearing
before being expelled. The group asked authorities to refrain
from cruel or degrading treatment during the crackdown, and urged
fair trials for those detained for immigration violations.
Officials say between 200,000 and 400,000 illegal immigrants
remain in Malaysia, although 400,000 are estimated to have taken
advantage of the amnesty to leave the country without punishment.
In Jakarta, dozens of migrant workers who claimed to have
suffered abuse in Malaysia staged an art happening outside the
Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta to protest the plight of migrants in
that country.
The protest was organized by the Federation of Indonesian
Migrant Workers Organizations (FOBMI) and involved approximately
30 migrant workers who had returned from Malaysia.
A skinny man wearing just boxer shorts, representing abused
migrant workers, stood bound in chains in front of the closed
black gate of the embassy.
A man representing Malaysian employers lashed him while
another man kicked and punched him while calling him names.
"Don't look with your physical eyes but with your heart's
eyes," shouted a protester standing in the background.
Protest leader Miftaf Farid said this was their perception of
the "inhuman treatment" of migrant workers by abusive employers.
The protesters took turns shouting out against what they
called the infringement of human rights of illegal workers. They
claimed workers were subject to physical abuse by some employers.
The group demanded the deportation of illegal workers be
stopped and that the Malaysian government legalize their status.
FOBMI urged the Indonesian and Malaysian governments to sign a
memorandum of understanding promising that the rights of the
workers would be respected.
The Indonesian government should set up a team to investigate
any human rights infringements that occur during the
deportations, the group added.
"The Indonesian government should improve the protection
system for workers in foreign countries, while the Malaysians
should improve their mechanisms for dealing with migrant
workers," FOBMI chairwoman Dina Nurayati said.
"The Malaysian government must punish employers who employ
illegal migrants and employers must quickly pay the workers'
salaries," she added.
Meanwhile, M. Sidarta, coordinator of the Alliance of the
United People of Banten, said the Malaysian government was not
solely to blame for the plight of the illegal Indonesian workers.
"Our government allowed the problem to arise because the
complicated bureaucratic procedures in applying for work permits
make them very costly." (005)