RI lobbies Malaysia on repatriation of workers
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
With just one day to go until Malaysia implements harsh immigration laws, the country continues to repatriate hundreds of thousands of Indonesians living illegally in Malaysia.
Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea told The Jakarta Post by telephone here on Tuesday that three warships -- KRI Teluk Lampung, KRI Teluk Kambai and KRI Teluk Ende -- had been dispatched to transport tens of thousands of workers stranded in Tawao, East Malaysia, with most of them already arriving home.
"Until Aug. 10, the three ships are expected to transport around 120,000 illegal workers who have decided to return home, while the cases of the remaining 60,000 are expected to be solved through intensive lobbying and bilateral cooperation with the Malaysian authorities," the minister said.
The government has estimated the number of Indonesians living illegally in Malaysia prior to the recent exodus at around 180,000 but many sides put the figure at between 380,000 and 480,000.
He said two of the three ships would transport the workers from Tawao to Makassar, South Sulawesi, while the third ship would travel from Johar to Belawan in North Sumatra and Dumai in Riau. Malaysian authorities are also deploying several vessels to help the repatriation mission.
"Of utmost importance is that the government has called on illegal workers to return home and has called on Malaysian authorities not to administer its new immigration law to all those who have decided to return home," he said.
Nuwa Wea, however, regretted that many workers were unaware of the new law and the government's call since they were living sheltered lives on plantations and in residences.
Nuwa Wea said Ari Heriawan and Soeramsihono, two senior officials at the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, had been in Kuala Lumpur to urge the Malaysian authorities not to enforce the law until Aug. 10 to give workers time to return home.
Indonesia was set to include the labor issue in the agenda of bilateral talks between President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad in Bali on Aug. 7, to persuade Malaysia to accept workers trained in Indonesia and who had the necessary documents.
The amnesty period that started in March will end on Wednesday, and the new immigration law threatening caning, a jail sentence or a fine for illegal immigrants is scheduled to take effect as of Aug. 1. The law also threatens a jail sentence and fines against Malaysians employing illegal foreign workers.
Malaysia drafted the law following a riot in Johar last October and another riot near Kuala Lumpur in January that involved Indonesian workers. Fifteen Indonesians who were found guilty of inciting the last riot were sent to prison.
On Tuesday, some 30,000 illegal workers arrived in Belawan, North Sumatra, and Dumai in Riau from the Malaysian peninsula and in Makassar and Parepare from East Malaysia.
"The remaining workers stranded in Tawao, Nunukan (East Kalimantan) and Entikong in West Kalimantan are expected to arrive home on Wednesday," Sjahrir Tadjuddin, chief of the South Sulawesi manpower and transmigration office, said.
He said 7,000 workers had arrived in South Sulawesi from Tawao and Nunukan and more were expected on Wednesday.
Some of the workers used passenger ships at their own expense to reach the province.
Meanwhile, the North Sumatra administrations threatened to turn away illegal workers arriving at Medan's Belawan Port and Tanjung Balai's Teluk Nibung Port if the central government did not finance the workers' trip home to Java and West Nusa Tenggara.
"We are only providing financial aid for illegal workers from North Sumatra. We don't have the money for illegal workers from other provinces. They are the responsibility of the central government and the relevant provincial administrations," he said.