"Every year, 20 thousand Indonesian migrant workers are deported from Malaysia. Its a miserable state of affairs. This means that 300 Indonesian migrant workers on an average are deported (from the neighbouring country) every week," BNP2TKI chief Gatot Abdullah Mansyur said on Saturday.
These workers are deported for having violated various laws. Among the deportees were Malaysia-born children of migrant workers, he said.
Most of the migrant workers in question were deported via Tanjungpinang in the Riau Islands province from where they were sent to their respective hometowns in coordination with regional social service offices, he said.
He said the government is serious about handling the question of migrant workers and the issue is being tackled in coordination with 17 ministries and government institutions.
"This is a crucial issue related to the protection of migrant workers," he said.
BNP2TKI has collated various kinds of problems faced by immigrant workers in border areas, particularly in Batam and Tanjungpinang, he said.
"We are aware that Batam is the route taken by most of the illegal workers. We must put an end to this," he said.
(s012/INE)
Reporting by Jannatun Naim
EDITED BY INE
(T.SYS/B/KR-BSR/S012)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
