A group of tsunami survivors from Aceh and North Sumatra have risked their lives fleeing from Malaysia after their residence and work permits expired.
The 26 people -- 17 women, nine men and two children under five -- crossed the waters between Penang, Malaysia, and East Aceh in a small unseaworthy boat. For two days and two nights, they were buffeted by the seas, and said they all almost drowned when the boat sprang a leak.
East Aceh Police arrested the group after they landed on Kuala I beach in East Aceh on Tuesday.
Kuala I beach is known as an illegal entry point for migrant workers returning home.
East Aceh Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Ridwan Usman said the 26 were arrested while preparing to take public transportation to their respective hometowns.
"We are now collecting information from them, identifying why they came home illegally," Ridwan said.
One of the group, Fajri Abubakar, said the workers had chosen to return home illegally out of fear they would be arrested by Malaysian police because their "tsunami cards" -- their permits to stay and work in the country -- had expired.
"We were afraid of being named as illegal immigrants," he added.
Fajri said the group had departed from Kumba Bay in Penang on Sunday.
"We were initially promised we would be sent home on a big ship, but it turned out to be a small crowded boat when we got on at Kumba Bay," Fajri said.
He said they each paid an Acehnese travel agent 500 Malaysian ringgit (Rp 1.4 million) for the boat ride home.
Another survivor, Mardiani, 29, of Samalanga, Aceh, said she had originally planned to return home via official channels, but had been intimidated by the agent, who told them if they did so they would be arrested in Kuala Lumpur over the expired tsunami cards.
"That is why I decided to go home the illegal way," she said.
Mardiani said she had decided to leave Malaysia because she was no longer at ease staying there after her tsunami card expired this August.
"It was not like it was before. Us Acehnese found it difficult to find a job, not to mention that the Malaysian police were always chasing after us," she said.
Malaysia took in about 30,600 Acehnese who fled Aceh following the separatist conflict and the devastating tsunami in 2004. The refugees were granted tsunami cards allowing them to stay there for two years.
When peace returned to Aceh, some returned home, leaving about 24,000 in Malaysia.
When their permits expired in 2006, the Malaysian government responded to lobbying by the Nangroe Aceh Darussalam provincial government and extended their permits by two years. The permits expired in August.
The Malaysian government has reportedly yet to decide whether to further extend the permits.
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