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

Border, migrant worker deals to be finalized this year: Malaysia

Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sun, July 21, 2019

Share This Article

Change Size

Border, migrant worker deals to be finalized this year: Malaysia President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (right) shakes hands with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad after giving a joint statement at the Bogor Palace on June 29, 2018. (Antara/Puspa Perwitasari)

M

alaysia's Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah has said that Malaysia and Indonesia hoped to renew a migrant worker agreement and finalize some areas of maritime delimitation by the end of this year.

Saifuddin said that both countries were now looking for the right date for an annual consultation between President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad during which the two agreements were expected to be concluded.

“We are aiming for the annual consultation to be held before year-end and those two [matters] could be among the outcomes of the meeting,” Saifuddin told reporters after delivering a seminar on Malaysia’s foreign policy at Paramadina University in Jakarta on Saturday.

Malaysia and Indonesia have yet to discuss the renewal of a 2011 bilateral agreement on the placement and protection of domestic workers that expired in May 2016.

Frequent cases of Indonesian workers being abused in Malaysia have caused diplomatic tensions between the two neighbors. The death of 21-year-old Adelina Lisao was one of the worst cases to occur last year, briefly sparking debate in Indonesia about imposing a moratorium on sending domestic workers to Malaysia.

On the issue of maritime delimitation, Indonesia and Malaysia previously announced that they had agreed on a “technical and legal basis” for delimitation proposals in the Sulawesi Sea and the southernmost part of the Strait of Malacca after 13 years of negotiations. (ipa)

{

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.