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View all search results473 Indonesians deported from Malaysia in October
The high number of illegal migrant workers being deported is the proof that the legal departure process in Indonesia is complicated and expensive.
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An Indonesian officer (right) observes Indonesian deportees on Thursday upon their arrival at Batam Center international ferry terminal in Batam, Riau Islands. The Indonesian Consulate General in Johor Bahru facilitated the deportation of 129 Indonesians and the repatriation of a sick Indonesian migrant worker from Malaysia. (Courtesy of Indonesian Consulate General in Johor Bahru/-)
M
ass deportations of illegal Indonesian migrant workers from Malaysia show a concerning trend and can be categorized as an emergency with 473 Indonesians deported in October after serving their time for immigrational violations.
An observer on border issues and lecturer at Raja Haji Social and Political Sciences Institute (STISIPOL) in Tanjungpinang, Zamzami A. Karim, said the high number of deportations was rooted in complex structural issues, from domestic economic pressure to high demand for hard labor in Malaysia. On the other hand, an official recruitment process is complicated and expensive, further driving nonprocedural migrant worker placements.
“The lack of a solution in handling this migration wave is no longer caused by limited legal instruments but the absence of serious political will from both countries,” he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
“The repatriation is massive and categorized as emergency with that number every month.”
He added that it was up to political will from both countries on how to rectify it.
He urged both the Malaysian and Indonesian governments to sit together to formulate a cooperation framework that is more transparent, humane and with simpler bureaucracy so that migrant workers can receive adequate legal protection without having to go illegally.
“The high number of illegal migrant workers is proof that the legal departure process is complicated and expensive,” he said.
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