RI hails Malaysia's amnesty offer for illegal workers

Ridwan Max Sijabat and Ivy Susanti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia has deemed the amnesty offered by the Malaysian government to illegal migrants ahead of the Idul Fitri holiday a good start to further enhancing bilateral relations between the two countries.

Newly inaugurated Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Fahmi Idris said on Thursday the two countries needed close cooperation to handle the planned mass deportation of Indonesian illegal migrant workers in January.

"We will continue to enhance cooperation and coordination in order to reduce the negative impact of the mass deportation," Fahmi said after a transfer of duty from his predecessor Jacob Nuwa Wea at the ministry.

The amnesty was offered by visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday.

An estimated 700,000 Indonesian migrants have been working without the necessary documents. Malaysia has blamed the illegal migrants for a hike in the country's crime rate.

The move has sparked criticism from labor activists and labor exporters, who accused the Malaysian government of seeking justification to expel the migrant workers since they are no longer needed.

Most of the illegal workers have been employed on plantations and construction projects and in electronics factories, but have been denied access to health care and other facilities because of their illegal status.

Following his meeting with President Susilo on Wednesday, Badawi said the amnesty would be granted to illegal workers who returned voluntarily to Indonesia ahead of Idul Fitri, which falls on Nov. 15.

He said the migrant workers would not be allowed to reenter Malaysia without the necessary documents.

"We called on illegal migrants to arrange their return according to Malaysia's prevailing regulations. We will provide them with transportation," Badawi said.

Under the tough Malaysian immigration act introduced two years ago, illegal migrants are subject to 10,000 ringgit (US$2,632) in fines per offense and/or a jail sentence of up to five years, plus caning.

Badawi, however, did not say whether his government would punish those who refused to return before Idul Fitri.

Malaysia agreed to delay the massive deportation until January 2005, due to the recent legislative and presidential elections in Indonesia and Idul Fitri and Christmas holidays.

Indonesia has urged Malaysia to deport with caution the illegal migrants to avoid human rights abuses, as happened in the past.

More than 70 people died of starvation and various diseases and hundreds of other were hospitalized when the Malaysian government deported Indonesian illegal workers in 2002.

Fahmi said he would set up a special team to help Malaysia handle the mass deportation so as not to affect ties between the two countries.

He said the special team would coordinate with Malaysian authorities and the Indonesian Embassy to ensure that the mass deportation was conducted in a smooth and humane manner.

The Malaysian government has promised to provide pocket money and sea transportation that will take the illegal migrants to Indonesian seaports in Belawan (North Sumatra), Tanjung Pinang (Riau), Tanjung Perak (East Java), Makassar in South Sulawesi, Nunukan (East Kalimantan) and Entikong (West Kalimantan).

Indonesia has said that it would deploy several warships to fetch the workers and transport them to seaports close to their hometowns.