Unscrupulous labor agents to face Army

Unscrupulous labor agents to face Army

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto has ordered the Armed Forces
to back up provincial authorities' crackdown on unscrupulous
labor agents who cheat young people into working abroad
illegally.

The President also instructed Minister of Manpower Abdul
Latief to accelerate the repatriation of illegal workers who were
detained by the Malaysian government at its immigration centers.

"We have about one million illegal workers in Malaysia, most
of them are unskilled workers," Latief said after meeting with
Soeharto at Merdeka Palace here yesterday.

The Indonesian Navy will start its third operation soon to
take home about 1,605 workers who are stranded at Malaysian
detention centers.

Malaysia, with 21 million people, is a lucrative job market
because of its Gross National Product (GNP) of not less than
US$3,500.

Latief described how labor brokers lure young people with the
promise of a big salary if they work in the neighboring country.

"They have been given empty promises and also fake travel
documents," Latief said.

Soeharto said he hoped the participation of the Armed Forces
would help reduce the number of victims of the profiteers.

Meanwhile, AFP reported Malaysian Deputy Home Minister Tajol
Rosli Ghazali as pledging on Thursday that illegal Indonesian
workers who had been deported would be prioritized over other
workers for jobs if the economy improved.

"From past experiences we know that Indonesians are suited for
work in the plantation, construction and service industries,"
Ghazali said.

In 1966, Malaysia stopped approving new entry permits for
foreign workers in the three sectors.

Last week it froze the import of foreign workers due to its
economic slump.

Latief said 1.4 million of 2.5 million foreign workers in the
country come from Indonesia.

"The Malaysian government says the number of illegal workers
is about 600,000 workers, I think only God knows the exact
number," Latief added smilingly.

He said most illegal workers work in oil palm plantations in
Kinabalu or in informal sectors.

"We will intensify the use of training centers to educate
unskilled workers before sending them back abroad," Latief said.
(prb)