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egislators are obligated to look for ways to protect and improve the rights of migrant workers both in their countries of origin and in the countries where they work, House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Alie said on Wednesday.

He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) conference on principles of friendship and cooperation in Asia and the ad hoc committee meeting on protection of the rights of migrant workers in Asia held in Surakarta, Central Java.

“This meeting in Surakarta is very important, especially because it discusses migrant workers, which has been a major problem among countries around the world,” Marzuki said in his address.

The meeting was held under tight security following Sunday’s bombing at Sepenuh Injil Bethel Church (GBIS) in Kepunton, Surakarta.

Of the APA’s 41 member parliaments and legislatures, 18 are participating in the conference, which runs until Thursday. In attendance as observers are members of the Hong Kong and Brunei Darussalam parliaments.

Marzuki said the International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that there were some 100 million migrant workers in the world.

Unfortunately, many of them were frequently treated unfairly, he said. They don’t have enough time to rest or the freedom to complain and are always under the threat of deportation if their presence in a destination country is considered illegal.

“The APA, as I see it, is a suitable medium for settling problems of migrant workers because both the countries of origin and the destination countries are all members of the assembly,” he said.

He underlined the need for APA member countries to seek better cooperation between the countries of origin and the destination countries to maximize workers’ benefits and to decrease the negative impacts of workers’ migration.

“Commitment and seriousness on the part of both the countries of origin and the destination countries are urgent to protect the rights of migrant workers,” he said.

The APA has pioneered the principles of friendship and cooperation in Asia since 2007. Cooperation based on equality and mutual respect is expected to unite Asia into a more integrated region.

Saleh Ahmed Ashour, a member of the Kuwaiti parliament, expressed the same hope, expecting the APA meeting in Surakarta to inspire every country in Asia to issue a regulation that protects workers’ rights including minimum salaries and insurance.

“We can share experiences from other countries,” he said, adding that the number of migrant workers including from Indonesia working in his country had been increasing by 6 percent annually.

“By early 2012, Kuwait will have a new law to protect the rights of domestic helpers, including those coming from foreign countries,” he said.