The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Thu, 09/01/2011
About 1.2 million Indonesian migrant workers have registered themselves in a massive amnesty program called “pemutihan” initiated by the Malaysian government to legalize the many immigrant workers who seek jobs illegally in the country.
“Out of 2 million immigrant workers registered, 1.2 million of them are Indonesian. The registration process was facilitated by migrant-worker agencies located in Malaysia,” National Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI) chief Moh. Jumhur Hidayat said Thursday as quoted by Kompas.com.
Most of the immigrant workers were reportedly resident in Semenanjung Sarawak and Sabah.
Jumhur said that several government institutions were involved in the program including the Home Ministry, the Immigration office, and the Manpower Ministry.
The program, which launched in early August, includes fingerprinting each immigrant for improved security. Those who fail to fulfill certain requirements could be deported.
do 1 sep 2011 - 17:33