Ramos shows support for workers in KL
Ramos shows support for workers in KL
MANILA (Agencies): President Fidel Ramos yesterday leapt to the support of Filipino migrant workers arrested in Malaysia and ordered Foreign Secretary Roberto Romulo to take up measures to protect them with the Malaysian government.
Romulo is to discuss the issue with his Malaysian counterpart, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, when they meet in the Indonesian capital Jakarta tomorrow for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) ministerial conference.
Romulo will discuss setting up grievance mechanisms, access to the more than 300 migrant workers rounded up last month and the lack of identification cards acceptable to Malaysia, Ramos told his weekly news conference.
Senator Blas Ople, chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, earlier urged Ramos to reopen the issue of Manila's territorial claim to the east Malaysian state of Sabah in retaliation for October's round-up.
Ramos has criticized the arrests, saying the Filipinos were not criminals. Kuala Lumpur refused to apologize in a note sent to the Philippine government on Monday, saying it was necessary to arrest workers violating its immigration laws.
The round-up, the second after Filipino maids were detained in Kuala Lumpur last March, has worsened often tense relations between the two partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Meanwhile, Romulo indicated on Tuesday that the Philippines is not satisfied with Malaysia's response to its protest over the arrest of more than 300 Filipino maids in Kuala Lumpur last month.
Reading from a prepared statement, Romulo told reporters, "While I appreciate the Malaysian response, which came 10 days after the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur filed our note, I will nonetheless continue an intensified discussion with the Malaysian government on this matter."
Warning
Although refusing to state categorically that Manila was not satisfied with Kuala Lumpur's reply, Romulo warned reporters before he read the statement "to read my body English" and when reading it gave particular emphasis to the phrases "10 days after" and "intensified discussion."
The Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur formally filed the protest with the Malaysian Foreign Ministry on Oct. 28 and received a reply on Monday.
In its reply, Malaysia said the Oct. 23 arrests were carried out to check on foreigners suspected of contravening Malaysian immigration laws and foreign workers suspected of deserting their original employers, thereby violating immigration rules, as well as to ensure that they are not mistreated or abused by private employment agencies.
Malaysia also said that such operations are not directed toward any particular foreign community.
Noting the difficulty encountered by the Philippine Embassy in obtaining information on the detained Filipino nationals and gaining access to them, Foreign Ministry officials suggested that practical measures be taken to ensure access to Filipinos detained in Malaysia.
"I am convinced that in the spirit of ASEAN amity and cooperation, the details of such measures can be worked out during the second meeting of the Philippines-Malaysia Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation," Romulo said. The meeting will be held in Kuala Lumpur on Jan. 24-27, 1995.