RI set to take back 160,000 illegal workers from Malaysia

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government is making the necessary preparations to facilitate the return of an estimated 160,000 Indonesian illegal workers from Malaysia to celebrate Idul Fitri in their home villages.

Director General of Overseas Labor Placement at the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, I Gusti Made Arka, said here on Tuesday that the government would provide additional services and additional public transportation in the nearest ports to the workers' hometowns.

More detailed arrangements to welcome the workers home would be discussed during a technical meeting involving the manpower ministry, the transportation ministry, the home ministry and the Directorate General of Immigration on Wednesday, Arka said.

He asserted that the handling of the workers's return would be done extra carefully as it would coincide with the exodus of millions of people across the country prior to the Idul Fitri holidays, which will fall on Nov. 15.

Around 160,000 out of an estimated 700,000 Indonesian workers working illegally in Malaysia are expected to return home following the Malaysian government's offer of an amnesty to those who are willing to leave the neighboring country between Oct. 29 and Nov. 14.

The amnesty is only for illegal workers who have no airline or ship tickets and who are not facing prosecution in the Malaysian courts.

Arka said the government would deploy extra personnel and more vehicles to transport the migrant workers to their hometowns.

"There will be more personnel and public transportation standing by at sea and airports in Sumatra, Java, West Nusa Tenggara, Kalimantan and Sulawesi to make sure the workers are transported and arrive in their home villages safely," he said.

Arka said Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Fahmi Idris would visit Kuala Lumpur to coordinate with his Malaysian counterpart on a planned massive deportation of around 600,000 more illegal workers in January.

"The mission's main purpose is to make sure that the deportations will be conducted in a gradual and humane manner. We will also ensure Malaysia that we will enhance security at the border with Indonesia as early as possible to prevent to prevent Indonesian migrants from entering Malaysia illegally.

"On our side, we will enforce the law on the placement and protection of workers overseas against anyone and any company supplying illegal workers to the neighboring country," he said.

Malaysia is scheduled to launch an operation to crack down on around 1.2 million illegal workers, mostly from Indonesia, in January. They will be deported to seaports close to their hometowns in Indonesia and will be given pocket money.

Fahmi said on Tuesday that the government would allocate Rp 104 billion (US$11.4 million) out of the 2005 state budget to transport the deported illegals back to their home villages.

"Workers bringing money with them from Malaysia will be encouraged and trained to become entrepreneurs in their home villages while those wishing to return to Malaysia will be required to obtain the necessary documents," he said.

The government has admitted it will be unable to provide jobs for the workers as the country has yet to fully recover from the economic crisis. The level of open unemployment at home has reached almost 10 million.