Malaysia Asked Not to Deport Migrants

The Jakarta Post
Wednesday, February 16, 2005

The Jakarta Post, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta

Rights group Amnesty International urged Malaysia on Tuesday not to deport migrants caught in a crackdown set to begin March 1, warning that some refugees and asylum-seekers among the migrants faced torture or detention at home.

Malaysia on Monday gave illegal immigrants two weeks to leave the country, delaying the crackdown for a third time in a concession to poorer neighbor Indonesia, from which the majority of the immigrants come.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi made the concession in talks with visiting Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who has resisted a sudden influx of needy people as his country recovers from the devastating tsunami of Dec. 26.

"However, we remain gravely concerned that refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants caught up in any large-scale deportation operation are still at risk of serious human rights violations," Amnesty International said in a statement as quoted by Reuters.

It said undocumented workers should receive a fair hearing before being expelled. The group asked authorities to refrain from cruel or degrading treatment during the crackdown, and urged fair trials for those detained for immigration violations.

Officials say between 200,000 and 400,000 illegal immigrants remain in Malaysia, although 400,000 are estimated to have taken advantage of the amnesty to leave the country without punishment.

In Jakarta, dozens of migrant workers who claimed to have suffered abuse in Malaysia staged an art happening outside the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta to protest the plight of migrants in that country.

The protest was organized by the Federation of Indonesian Migrant Workers Organizations (FOBMI) and involved approximately 30 migrant workers who had returned from Malaysia.

A skinny man wearing just boxer shorts, representing abused migrant workers, stood bound in chains in front of the closed black gate of the embassy.

A man representing Malaysian employers lashed him while another man kicked and punched him while calling him names.

"Don't look with your physical eyes but with your heart's eyes," shouted a protester standing in the background.

Protest leader Miftaf Farid said this was their perception of the "inhuman treatment" of migrant workers by abusive employers.

The protesters took turns shouting out against what they called the infringement of human rights of illegal workers. They claimed workers were subject to physical abuse by some employers.

The group demanded the deportation of illegal workers be stopped and that the Malaysian government legalize their status.

FOBMI urged the Indonesian and Malaysian governments to sign a memorandum of understanding promising that the rights of the workers would be respected.

The Indonesian government should set up a team to investigate any human rights infringements that occur during the deportations, the group added.

"The Indonesian government should improve the protection system for workers in foreign countries, while the Malaysians should improve their mechanisms for dealing with migrant workers," FOBMI chairwoman Dina Nurayati said.

"The Malaysian government must punish employers who employ illegal migrants and employers must quickly pay the workers' salaries," she added.

Meanwhile, M. Sidarta, coordinator of the Alliance of the United People of Banten, said the Malaysian government was not solely to blame for the plight of the illegal Indonesian workers.

"Our government allowed the problem to arise because the complicated bureaucratic procedures in applying for work permits make them very costly."