Malaysia Nabs 560 Foreigners in Crackdown

Reuters
Wednesday, March 2, 2005

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 (Reuters) - Malaysia arrested more than 560 foreigners, mostly Indonesians and Filipinos, as a sweep against illegal immigrants entered its second day on Wednesday, and authorities vowed not to relax efforts to track down the rest.

Immigration officials said thousands of migrants may have fled their homes to go into hiding and escape the country's biggest crackdown on illegal immigrants since 2002.

Authorities said the campaign would run as long as necessary.

"It will go on forever so long as we have illegals," Home Affairs Minister Azmi Khalid told a news conference. "As long we have illegals we have to go on."

The round-up follows the end on Monday of a four-month amnesty that allowed about 400,000 illegal migrants to leave without punishment.

Immigration officials said they had checked 5,521 foreigners and arrested 563, most of them Indonesians and Filipinos.

Azmi added that 23 French nationals, five Britons, two Americans, an Italian and a Croatian were also arrested for working while on tourist visas. But he did not say in which sectors they were employed.

Malaysian officials estimate 200,000 to 400,000 illegal immigrants remain, willing to run the risk of a fine and jail or whipping for men younger than 50, in return for jobs that pay better than those they might get at home.

Azmi however said the government has decided to issue work permits to 10,000 asylum-seekers who have been living in Malaysia illegally, and exempt them from arrest and deportation.

Stranded

Some migrants were stranded because their employers did not pay their salaries until it was too late to get tickets home before the deadline.

"There was one person who came to us today saying the immigration officials weren't letting him get on his flight, and we were able to talk to the authorities to let him go," said an official at the Indonesian embassy.

"We've had calls for help from Indonesians and Indians who were unable to leave by the deadline," said Aegil Fernandes of Tenaganita, a group formed to protect migrants' rights.

She said the group was trying to persuade officials to allow the departure of a group of 200 Bangladeshis stranded at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. "We took them food and water today," she added.

Azmi said migrants held up by logistics problems would be allowed to leave.

"As long as they produce tickets as proof of their intention to leave, then they should not be detained. Let them go back to their countries," he said.

The question of illegal labour is controversial in Malaysia, where a successful government drive to improve education and modernise the economy means fewer people are willing to do the gruelling manual work the country's prosperity was founded on.

The government says foreigners who left under the amnesty will be allowed to return if they come via proper channels, but those who ignored it will be kept out forever.

Malaysia relies heavily on cheap workers from Indonesia to take up unskilled or semi-skilled work at construction sites, factories, plantations and restaurants.

But the illegal workers don't pay tax and are often blamed for crime and disease.

Human rights groups repeated calls to halt the crackdown.

"It cannot be disputed that these migrants have contributed enormously to the Malaysian economy, particularly when compared to the meagre benefits they have gained," the Asian Human Rights Commission, which is based in Hong Kong, said in a statement.

"It is time to acknowledge such contributions through humane gestures rather than taking tough measures," it added.