"Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed to use the Lombok Agreement as a framework protection for Indonesia workers in Malaysia," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said.
Kuala Lumpur (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government continues to evaluate the implementation in Malaysia of the Lombok Agreement on the protection of Indonesia workers in Malaysia.

"Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed to use the Lombok Agreement as a framework protection for Indonesia workers in Malaysia," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in a joint press conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in Puterajaya, Malaysia, on Tuesday night.

"We have Lombok Agreement and there is still something done outside the framework. The Lombok Agreement regulates how to protect Indonesian workers in Malaysia," President Yudhoyono said.

In the meantime, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said there were problems regarding fees for workers agencies that had been settled.

"In the field of manpower, Lombok agreement is a framework agreement that has been implemented, yet there is slight difficulty in its implementation," the Malaysian prime minister said.

He said that there was a problem with regard to the fee for workers agencies.

During the 8th consultation meeting in Lombok (Indonesia) in 2011, Indonesia and Malaysia agreed to amend the recruitment and placement of the Indonesian domestic workers agreement signed in 2006.

The implementation of the agreement amendment would also continue to be evaluated in every annual consultation meeting, including during the on-going 9th consultation meeting in Kuala Lumpur 2012.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was leading a delegation here to the 9th annual consultation meeting with Malaysia on Tuesday.

His delegation included Coordinating Minister for Political, Security and Legal Affairs Djoko Suyanto, Defence Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro, Manpower Minister Muhaimin Iskandar, Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, Education Minister Mohammad Nuh and Industry Minister MS Hidayat.

President Yudhoyono is also scheduled to receive an honorary degree in Philosophy from the University of North Malaysia.

The President`s visit to Malaysia this time is amid rising tensions between the two countries, after former Malaysian information minister Tan Sri Zainuddin Maidini criticized former Indonesian President BJ Habibie as a `traitor` in a newspaper article.

After seeing a Habibie and Ainun film on Monday, President Yudhoyono expressed disapproval of the Malaysian minister`s statement, saying it had hurt the feelings of the Indonesian people and could also disrupt relations between the two countries.

From Malaysia, President Yudhoyono will leave for India to attend an ASEAN-India summit. (*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2012