INDONESIAN GOVT URGED TO PROTECT MIGRANT WORKERS By Fardah

   Jakarta, Nov 16, 2012 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government has been urged to offer better protection to the nation's migrant workers overseas, in the wake of two cases of alleged rape involving Indonesian female workers in Malaysia this month.

        The latest rape case occurred on November 9, when a 25-year-old Indonesian restaurant waitress from Central Java, identified as SM, claimed that she was gang-raped by three Malaysian Police officers at Perai police office, Bukit Mertajam, Pulau Penang State.

        The rape allegedly happened when the local police were interrogating SM and some her friends in connection with their work permits.

        "They did not accept the photocopy of my passport and took me to their office," she said. SM stated that she requested the police to release her, but they refused. Later, she added, the three officers let her go after raping her and warned her not to tell anyone about the incident.

        Earlier, on November 5, an Indonesian housemaid was allegedly raped by her Malaysian employer and abused by the employer's wife in Seramban, Negeri Sembilan State.

        "Malaysia has become a `danger zone' for Indonesian migrant workers," said Irgan Chairul Mahfiz, deputy chairman of the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission IX on migrant workers affairs, in an email to ANTARA recently, while commenting on the rape cases.

       "There are many migrant workers facing similar ordeals in Malaysia, making the neighbouring country a dangerous region for Indonesian migrant workers," he noted.

        "Indonesian migrant workers do not feel secure about a neighbouring country that does not respect human rights completely," Mahfiz continued.

        "As long as law enforcers, employers and suppliers behave badly and continue to victimize the migrant workers, there is no chance of freedom and respect for the workers," he stated.

         Mahfiz urged the government to understand the condition of the workers and repatriate them, particularly those working as housemaids and helpers in plantations.

         "Bringing those migrant workers back to Indonesia is more respectable than letting them become targets of harassment, killings, raids and confinement," said the politician from the United Development party.

        He also urged the government to stop sending migrant workers to work as housemaids and plantation helpers in Malaysia. 
   Following the rape cases, Muhammadiyah youth organization chairman Saleh P Daulay questioned the government's commitment to the protection of Indonesian migrant workers overseas.

         "A migrant worker who was raped by three Malaysian police officers recently, reported the case to a politician of Barisan Nasional. Why did she not report it to the Indonesian embassy or consulate office?" he asked, while speaking to ANTARA recently.

            "I think the worker faced difficulties relating to bureaucratic procedures and services at the embassy or consulate when she wanted to report the rape case. Therefore, perhaps, she chose to report it to Lau Chiek Tuan, a coordinator of the ruling Barisan National party at Bukit Mertajam," Daulay said.

         "All Indonesian migrant workers should be given the telephone numbers of the Indonesian embassy and consulate so they can contact them in case of emergencies. Why otherwise would she report the rape case to a local politician?" he pointed out.

          Had Lau Chiek Tuan not reported the rape case to the police, Daulay added, the Indonesian government and public would never have known of it.

           "So what is the use of having a Manpower and Transmigration Ministry and the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI) if they just send workers overseas but fail to give them protection?" he asked.

          Daulay urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to review the performances of Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar and BNP2TKI Chairman Moh Jumhur Hidayat.

          "I am sure they do not even know how many Indonesian workers are there in Malaysia. Because, according to the information I have received, 60 percent of Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia are working there illegally," he stated.

            Daulay said he had already met with Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Dato Syed Afdzaruddin Syed Hassan and sought clarification on the rape case.

         "The Malaysian ambassador has promised that the Malaysian law will deal with the police officers who have allegedly committed the rape. If found guilty, they could be sentenced to whipping and up to 20 years in prison," he added.

         The Indonesian embassy reported that in response to the two cases of alleged rape, the Malaysian authorities have arrested four people ¿ the Malaysian employer and the three police officers. The police have also detained the employer's wife, charging her with assault.  
   According to Malaysia's existing laws, a convicted rapist can face a maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment as well as whipping (under the sharia law).

         Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa has condemned the alleged rapes of Indonesian female workers in Malaysia, urging the Malaysian government to take action against the perpetrators.

         "In a written statement, the Malaysian foreign minister said his ministry saw these cases as a serious problem and would fully cooperate with the Indonesian government in resolving them," Marty said in a press release recently.

        The Malaysian news agency reported on November 15 that the Malaysian government had strongly condemned the rape of an Indonesian maid in Seremban, the second of its kind in a pan of two weeks, following the rape of an Indonesian restaurant worker in Penang earlier.

         Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said the incidents were ¿despicable and inhuman acts¿.

         He said in a statement that the ministry would follow up the case with the police and extend maximum cooperation to the Indonesian government.

        The Malaysian minister also said the employer of the maid was being remanded in custody from November 13-20.

        Meanwhile, Marty said the Malaysian police had promised to conduct a fair investigation.

         The Indonesian foreign minister summoned the Malaysian Ambassador in Jakarta and expressed deep concern over the rape cases, calling for immediate and transparent investigation.

         "The Indonesian embassy has also sent a team to Seramban. The team has met with the victim and is giving her assistance and protection. The victim's condition is getting better but she is still undergoing treatment at a hospital in Seramban," he noted.

        Last year, the Indonesian government assigned the Task Force for Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (Satgas TKI) to recruit qualified lawyers, particularly in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, to assist Indonesian workers facing legal problems. 
     Due to poverty and lack of job opportunities, Indonesia has become one of the world's largest suppliers of migrant workers. The number of Indonesian workers overseas is estimated to reach nearly 6 million people.
    Malaysia has become the top destination for Indonesian migrant workers due to the two countries¿ geographic proximity.
    ¿The second and third destinations are Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong, respectively¿ Deputy Chairperson of the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI) Lisna Y Poelongan told detikFinance in Jakarta in September.    
    According to the agency's data, the number of Indonesian workers in Malaysia up to July 2012 reached nearly 1.9 million, followed by Saudi Arabia (1.1 million) and Hong Kong (189,000).

         "Seen from the remittance sent by the workers up to July 2012, the highest amount came from Malaysia (US$ 1.3 billion), followed by Saudi Arabia (US$ 1.1 billion)," Lisna said.

        Other countries that employ Indonesian workers include Singapore, Taiwan, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, and South Korea.   ***3***
(f001/INE/a014)