TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

SE Asia MPs calls on Malaysia to halt migrant crackdown

  (Agence France-Presse)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Mon, August 7, 2017

Share This Article

Change Size

SE Asia MPs calls on Malaysia to halt migrant crackdown Migrant workers board the KM Thalia ship at Tunon Taka Port in Nunukan district, North Kalimantan, on Nov. 9., 2015. (Antara/Rusman)

S

outheast Asian lawmakers on Monday urged Malaysia to halt a crackdown on migrant workers that has seen more than 6,000 foreigners detained and sparked alarm among rights groups.

Relatively developed Malaysia is a magnet for migrant workers from across Asia in sectors ranging from construction to agriculture, but several million are believed to be undocumented.

Authorities started rounding up illegal workers after an official programme to register undocumented foreigners ended on June 30. 

The latest official figures show 6,038 undocumented workers have been arrested in raids. The two largest groups represented were from Indonesia and Bangladesh, with substantial numbers also from Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam. 

MPs from a group that brings together Southeast Asian lawmakers pushing for better human rights visited Malaysia on a fact-finding mission, and at the end of the trip made a plea for authorities to end the crackdown.

"This inhumane action must be halted," Philippine Congresswoman Emmi De Jesus told reporters in Kuala Lumpur at the end of the visit. 

"Many migrants are living in constant fear. Poor treatment by law enforcement, including indefinite detention in abysmal conditions, are urgent concerns."

The group, ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, urged all Southeast Asian governments to adopt a binding regional treaty on migrant workers, aimed at protecting workers and their rights.

Leading Malaysian migrant rights group Tenaganita said it was "upset to see such large numbers of undocumented workers including refugees being handcuffed, arrested, criminalised, sent to prisons and detention centres".

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.