Malaysian ambassador asks for more positive coverage

Malaysian ambassador to Indonesia Dato Zainal Abidin criticized Indonesian news media Thursday for their negative coverage of the abuse of Indonesian workers in Malaysia.

"Violence doesn't only happen in Malaysia, but also in Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and other countries," he said, when giving assistance to four Indonesian workers who had suffered abuse in Malaysia.

Zainal said the Malaysian government did not want anyone, including Indonesian workers, to undergo abuse kompas.com reported.

Protection would be given to everyone and those who committed abuse in Malaysia would be punished, he added.

"Please don't portray us as bad people. Fifty percent of prisoners in Malaysia are Indonesians, why do we never hear about this in the news," he said.

Indonesia has temporarily stopped sending workers to Malaysia because of several abuse cases involving Indonesian workers there recently.

The Indonesian and Malaysian governments have conducted talks to resolve the problem but no new deal has been reached.