Activists Protest Malaysia's Crackdown On Illegal Workers

Associated Press
Thursday, February 3, 2005

MANILA, Feb. 3 (AP)--Protesters picketed the Malaysian Embassy Thursday against Kuala Lumpur's planned crackdown on hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants from the Philippines and other Asian countries.

"Migrants are humans, not animals," read a poster held by one of three dozen protesters.

Malaysian officials said more than half a million illegal migrants, mostly Indonesians and Filipinos, ignored a Jan. 31 amnesty deadline to leave the country and risked being whipped, fined and jailed before being deported.

However, Malaysia has temporarily scaled down the crackdown, with authorities instead planning to persuade them to leave voluntarily.

"For migrant workers, a reign of terror will surely mark the next few weeks and months. (Malaysian) Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi must end this nightmare before it begins," said Maita Santiago, the secretary general of militant group Migrante International.

Santiago said illegal workers also contribute to the Malaysian economy.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo Wednesday appealed to Filipinos living illegally in Malaysia to return home.

The Malaysian police estimates there are about 170,000 undocumented Filipinos in Sabah state alone, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said.

The deportation of thousands of illegal workers in 2002 caused tension between Manila and Kuala Lumpur. The Philippines lodged a diplomatic protest over alleged torture and violation of deportees' human rights. (Edited by Sharon Vong).