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)