RI migrant workers lost in Malaysia

MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: The whereabouts of at least 135 Indonesian migrant workers from Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, who left for Malaysia two years ago, remains unknown.

The departure of the workers was sponsored by East Lombok's Marakit Taklimat Islamic boarding school or pesantren, with each receiving a Rp 2.5 million allotment derived from local Bank Syariah loans.

Hazmi Hamzar, head of the pesantren, said in Mataram on Thursday that he had tried to detect the workers' whereabouts by contacting the relevant labor recruitment agency, but the latter claimed to have no knowledge of their workplaces abroad.

He said at least 40 of the lost workers now believed to be in Malaysia had never communicated with their relatives by mail or phone, making it difficult to settle the bank credits.

"The government should therefore provide funds for migrant workers, instead of merely expecting large remittances from them every year," Hamzar added. --Antara