Jumhur Hidayat, the chairman of the National Agency for the Placement and Protection of Overseas Labor (BNP2TKI), said at a seminar in Jember, East Java, on Sunday, that he was upset by Malaysia's refusal to enforce the ban, and threatened to extend it to all workers.

"If this continues, we will stop sending workers altogether, including those who work in the palm oil plantations, and let their *Malaysia's* crops go rotten," he said as quoted by Antara. There are about 2.2 million Indonesians currently working in prosperous Malaysia, a quarter of whom are employed as domestic helpers.

Malaysia is one of the most popular destinations for Indonesians seeking work abroad, where domestic helpers earn an average of 600 ringgit (US$180) a month, while similar work in city households earns barely half that amount.

"We have to prioritize the nation's interests. We cannot afford to have our workers abused and beaten again," Jumhur said.

Antara, however, reported on Sunday hundreds of illegal Indonesian migrant workers had been deported from Malaysia and were currently staying at a boarding facility in Tanjung Pinang, Riau Islands. Eight of the deported were sent home with their babies.

The ban on sending domestic helpers to the neighboring country was issued on June 26, after a series of migrant abuse cases were reported in Malaysia. Jakarta has not yet decided whether to lift the ban.

Teuku Faizasyah, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday that discussions over the MOU were still ongoing and therefore no decision had been made regarding the moratorium on Indonesians seeking work in Malaysia.

The spokesman, however, acknowledged that Indonesian maids were still being sent to Malaysia through illegal channels despite the ban. "It's hard to control, especially in the regions," he said.

Anis Hidayah from Migrant Care, an NGO focusing on the rights of migrant workers, suggested the demand for maids would likely surge in KL over the Idul Fitri holiday, as Indonesian maids usually returned to their homeland.

Nevertheless, she said that while the Malaysian side was partly to blame for employing illegal maids during the moratorium, the Indonesian government was ultimately responsible for enforcing the policy.

"It is Indonesia's fault the moratorium has not been effective. The entry points to Malaysia have not been strictly monitored, the regional administrations are apparently still at odds with the government in Jakarta, and the migrant workers are not well informed about why we need to have a moratorium."

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